IELTS Reading Practice Test 5

Vocabulary

The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech (see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.

And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.

Section 1

v. demolish — to destroy, to tear down (a building)
v. underpin — to support or to fund
n. coaching — giving counsel and guidance, esp. in sports
n. nutrition — a scientific term for food
v. collaborate — to work together, have a joint project
adj. ethereal — (in given context) having little relation to reality
v. wring — to twist a piece of cloth to extract liquid from it (after washing)
v. swivel — to turn, to rotate
n. velocity — speed
adj. obtrusive — sticking out, irritating, being in the way
n. saliva — water-like liquid from the mouth
adj. remarkable — unusually good, outstanding
n. altitude — vertical height

Section 2

adj. startling — surprising or causing fear, unexpected
adj. annual — happening every year
adj. beyond — on the other side of something
n. shipping — delivering or transporting freight
adj. bulky — taking a lot of space
adj. significant — important, great or considerable
n. output — the act or the volume of production
adj. swift — quick, fast
v. capsize — to tip or turn a ship/a boat over
v. haul — to transport, to move from one place to another
conj. albeit — even though
v. deter — to prevent or to discourage
n. tariff — a tax, such as an import tax
n. fare — sum of money paid for a service

Section 3

n. mud — wet dirt
v. thaw — to melt
v. insulate — to isolate, to protect from electricity
n. permafrost — ground that is frozen permanently, found deep underground
n. precipitation — natural phenomena such as rain, snow, hail etc.
adj. precarious — likely to fail, unreliable, perilous
v. venture — to expose to danger, to undertake a trip to a dangerous place
n. hardship — difficult conditions, challenges
n. gap — a break or an opening
adj. meagre — low in amount or strength
n. harsh — tough, challenging, inhospitable (e.g. harsh climate)
adj. nomadic — tending to move from one place to another (see nomad)
v. starve — to suffer or die from lack of food or water
v. curtail — to shorten
n. obesity — the state of being excessively fat
n. incidence — degree, extent, frequency with which something occurs
adj. vital — extremely important
n. wisdom — knowledge and experience
v. impinge — to collide with; to trespass.

IELTS Reading Score Reference Table