🌸 IELTS Reading Practice

The Flower Trade - Paragraphs C, D, and E

⏱️ Reading Time: 0:00
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📖 Reading Passage

PARAGRAPH C

The Netherlands is also a world leader in developing new flower varieties. Dutch companies and the government invest a considerable amount of money in flower research. Their scientists look for ways to lengthen a flower's vase life,3 to strengthen flowers to prevent them from being damaged while traveling, and also to strengthen the flowers' natural fragrance.

Note:
3 Vase life means the amount of time a cut flower remains in good condition.

❓ Questions - Paragraph C

📋 Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then answer all questions below. Use the hints if you need help finding answers.
MAIN IDEA
Question 1 Main Idea
What is the main idea of Paragraph C?
Hint: What is the paragraph mainly discussing? Look at what the Netherlands is described as being "a world leader" in.
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Question 2 Vocabulary
The word "invest" in line 2 means:
Context: Companies and the government put money into flower research. Why would they do this? What do they expect to gain?
Question 3 Vocabulary
The word "considerable" in line 2 is closest in meaning to:
Context: The passage is emphasizing the investment. Would a world leader invest a small or large amount?
Question 4 Vocabulary
The word "prevent" in line 4 means:
Context: Scientists strengthen flowers to "prevent them from being damaged." What action stops damage?
REFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 5 Reference
The word "Their" in line 3 refers to:
Location: Look at the sentence before "Their scientists." Who employs these scientists?
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Question 6 True/False/Not Given
Dutch scientists are working to make flowers last longer in a vase.
Key phrase: Look for "lengthen a flower's vase life" in the passage. Check the footnote for the definition.
Question 7 True/False/Not Given
The Netherlands spends more money on flower research than any other country.
Be careful: The passage says the Netherlands invests a considerable amount, but does it compare this to other countries?
INFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 8 Inference
What can be inferred about the flower industry from this paragraph?
Think: Why would a world leader invest heavily in research? What does this suggest about staying competitive?

📖 Reading Passage

PARAGRAPH D

The Benefits of Climate

Despite the Netherlands' dominance of the flower market, there are many places with a better climate for growing flowers. The climate of Ecuador, for example, is almost perfect. Mauricio Davalos is the man responsible for starting Ecuador's flower industry, which has grown quickly over recent years. "Our biggest edge is nature," he claims. "Our roses are the best in the world." With predictable rainy periods and 12 hours of sunlight each day, Ecuador's roses are known for their large heads and long, straight stems. Every year, Ecuador sells about 500 million flowers to the United States alone. The industry has brought employment opportunities and a stronger economy to regions of the country. "My family has TV now. There are radios," says Yolanda Quispe, 20, who picked roses for four years.

🗺️ Geographic Context: Ecuador is located in South America, on the equator, which gives it ideal growing conditions with consistent sunlight.

❓ Questions - Paragraph D

📋 Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then answer all questions below. Use the hints if you need help finding answers.
MAIN IDEA
Question 9 Main Idea
What is the main idea of Paragraph D?
Hint: The paragraph title is "The Benefits of Climate." What is the main benefit being discussed?
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Question 10 Vocabulary
The word "claims" in line 5 is closest in meaning to:
Context: Mauricio Davalos is expressing his opinion about Ecuador's advantages. What word means "to say something is true"?
Question 11 Vocabulary
The word "predictable" in line 6 means:
Context: For farming, is it better to have rain that comes at regular times or at random times? "Predictable" is described as a positive quality.
Question 12 Vocabulary
The word "industry" in line 9 refers to:
Context: Look at the previous sentences discussing Ecuador selling flowers. What business is being discussed?
REFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 13 Reference
The pronoun "their" in "their large heads" (line 7) refers to:
Location: Read the sentence: "Ecuador's roses are known for their large heads..." What has "heads"?
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Question 14 True/False/Not Given
Ecuador exports more than 500 million flowers to the United States annually.
Be careful: The passage says "about 500 million." Does "about" mean "more than"?
Question 15 True/False/Not Given
The flower industry has improved living standards in some parts of Ecuador.
Evidence: Look at what Yolanda Quispe says about her family. What does having TV and radios suggest?
INFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 16 Inference
What can be inferred about Ecuador's success in the flower industry?
Key quote: Remember Mauricio Davalos's statement: "Our biggest edge is nature." What does this suggest?

📖 Reading Passage

PARAGRAPH E

To others, the increasingly international nature of the flower trade is very bad news. In recent years, local growers in the United States faced huge competition from international flower companies; many have even lost their businesses. Lina Hale, an independent rose grower in California, said her father predicted the situation in the 1980s. "I see a freight train coming down the track," he warned her, "and it's coming straight towards us." Her father's prediction—sadly—has largely come true. In a globalized world, what happens in one place often has far-reaching effects.

❓ Questions - Paragraph E

📋 Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then answer all questions below. Use the hints if you need help finding answers.
MAIN IDEA
Question 17 Main Idea
What is the main idea of Paragraph E?
Hint: The paragraph starts by saying the international trade is "very bad news" to some. Who is affected negatively?
VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
Question 18 Vocabulary
The word "increasingly" in line 1 means:
Context: The passage discusses how the international nature of trade has grown over time. What word means "more and more"?
Question 19 Vocabulary
The word "predicted" in line 4 is closest in meaning to:
Context: Her father said something about the future in the 1980s, and it came true. What does this mean?
Question 20 Vocabulary
The word "globalized" in line 7 means:
Context: The paragraph discusses international trade affecting local businesses. What kind of world allows this?
Question 21 Vocabulary
The phrase "far-reaching effects" means:
Example: Flower growing in Ecuador affects businesses in California. How would you describe effects that reach far away?
REFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 22 Reference
What does the "freight train" metaphor represent?
Think: A freight train is powerful and unstoppable. It's "coming straight towards us" as a warning. What does this represent?
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Question 23 True/False/Not Given
Many American flower businesses have closed due to international competition.
Location: Look at the second sentence: "many have even lost their..."
Question 24 True/False/Not Given
Lina Hale's father correctly predicted the problems facing local flower growers.
Evidence: The passage says "Her father's prediction—sadly—has largely come true." What does this mean?
INFERENCE QUESTIONS
Question 25 Inference
What can be inferred about Lina Hale's father's attitude in the 1980s?
Clue: He "warned" her about a "freight train coming." What emotion does a warning suggest?
Question 26 Inference
The last sentence suggests that:
Analysis: The sentence discusses how events in one place have "far-reaching effects." This is the main lesson of the paragraph.