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- IELTS reading sentence completion
- IELTS reading Yes/no/not given
- IELTS reading Multiple choice questions
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IELTS reading passage – Wolves, dogs, and humans
Wolves, dogs, and humans
Dogs are without a doubt the oldest of all human-inhabited species, and their breeding is based on a mutually beneficial relationship with a human. It is generally believed that wolf breeding began 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. However, the latest exciting article from the International Panel of Geneticists has pushed this date back by 10 factors. A team led by Dr. Robert Wayne at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that the wolf was the only ancestor of all dog breeds. They did this by analyzing the genetic history of DNA from 140 domestic dogs representing 162 wolves and 67 breeds worldwide. Research proves for the first time that dogs are descended only from wolves and do not share DNA with coyotes or foxes. Our connection with dogs now seems to go back at least 100,000 years, which means that this partnership may have played a key role in the evolution of human hunting methods that were developed 70,000 to 90,000 years ago.
It may have affected the brain development of both organisms. Australian veterinarian David Paxton says that during that first contact, people did not raise wolves as much as wolves and domestic humans. Wolves may have begun to live by removing debris from the edge of human settlements and eating food and waste. Some learned to live in mutual aid with humans and gradually became dogs. At the extremely least, they would have guarded human settlements and would have alerted by raising sound at anything approaching. Wolves that became dogs have had tremendous success in evolution. They are seen all over the world where they live, hundreds of millions of them. Descendants of wolves are now rarely distributed, mostly in endangered populations.
In exchange for friendship and food, the dog’s early ancestors helped in tracking humans, hunting, protecting, and other different activities. Finally, humans started to select and raise these animals for specific qualities. The physical properties varied and separate species started to form. As humans roamed throughout Asia and Europe, they took their dogs with them, utilized them for extra work, and further bred them for preferred traits that would help them perform specific tasks better.
Colin Groves, Doctor of Archeology and Anthropology at the Australian National University. According to Colin, early humans relied on dogs’ hearing, smell, and sight – letting particular areas of the human brain shrink in size compared to other areas. Dogs worked as human alarm systems, trackers and hunting aids, waste removal facilities, hot water bottles, and baby guards and playmates. Humans gave food and safety to dogs. This cohesive connection has been long-lasting for over 100,000 years and has strengthened into mutual nurturing, Dr. Groves expressed. According to him, humans raise dogs, and dogs raise humans.
Dr. Groves reiterated in 1914 that humans have some of the same physical attributes as domestic animals, most notably a reduced brain size. Horse brain size was reduced by 16 percent after breeding, while the size of the pig brain was reduced by 34 percent. Estimated brain size reduction in domestic dogs differs from 30 percent to 10 percent. In the final decade, archaeologists have found enough fossil evidence to establish that human brain capacity in Europe and Africa has declined by at least 10 percent since at least 10,000 years ago. Dr. Groves feels this reduction may have been due to the intensification of the relationship between humans and dogs. Close contact between the two species allowed to reduce certain human brain functions such as smell and hearing.
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Wolves, dogs, and humans IELTS reading questions
Questions 1-5
Complete the sentences using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer
1. The breeding of dogs is based on a mutually beneficial connection with a ____________.
2. The latest interesting article from the ____________ Group has pushed this date back by 10 factors.
3. Robert Wayne found that the wolf was the only __________ of all dog breeds.
4. Research proves for the first time that dogs do not share DNA with ________ or _______.
5. During that first contact, David Paxton states that people did not raise wolves like ________ and domestic humans.
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Questions 6 – 10
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage? Write
YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO, if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
6. Humans started hating dogs after knowing that it is an ancestors of wolves.
7. Wolves may have started to survive on food and waste by removing debris from the edges of human settlements.
8. Wolves that became dogs have had a tremendous failure in evolution.
9. Descendants of wolves are now rarely distributed, mostly in endangered populations.
10. Humans started to select and raise these animals for specific qualities.
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Question 11 – 15
Choose the correct letter, A – D.
11. humans took their dogs with them, utilized them for
A. their safety
B. shopping
C. cleaning activities
D. extra work
12. Dogs worked as human alarm systems, trackers and hunting aids, waste removal facilities, hot water bottles, and
A. baby guards
B. safeguards
C. a good friend
D. playmates
13. Cohesive connection between dogs and humans has been long-lasting for over
A. 10,000 years
B. 100,000 years
C. 10,00,000 years
D. 1000 years
14. Humans have some of the same physical attributes as domestic animals, most notably a
A. increased brain size
B. reduced brain function
C. reduced brain size
D. advance brain function
15. Estimated brain size reduction in domestic dogs differs from 30 percent to
A. 5 percent
B. 15 percent
C. 20 percent
D. 10 percent
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Wolves, dogs, and humans IELTS reading answers
1. human
2. International Geneticists
3. ancestor
4. Coyotes, foxes (can be any order)
5. wolves
6. Not given
7. Yes
8. No
9. Yes
10. No
11. D. extra work
12. A & D baby guards, playmates (can be any order)
13. B. 100,000 years
14. C. reduced brain size
15. D. 10 percent
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