Instielts Traveller

GENERAL TRAINING READING PASSAGE 1

Traveller’s Tips

VISITING AUSTRALIA Traveller’s Tips A

Quarantine Arrangements Australia is a beautiful country free from many pests and diseases found elsewhere in the world. Quarantine helps keep it that way. When entering Australia, it’s vital that you declare on your Incoming Passenger Card any food, live plants and animals and any items made from wood, plants or animals. Quarantine officers use detector dog teams, X-ray machines and random baggage checks to detect undeclared quarantine items. If you conceal items of quarantine concern, you may receive an on-the-spot fine or you could be prosecuted.

B

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Bite and Fright When walking in the bush and rainforest, be sure to wear boots, thick long socks and long trousers and be careful about putting your hand into holes. Ticks* and leeches* are common so check your body thoroughly after bushwalking. Ticks can be dangerous if not removed. They can be removed with kerosene or methylated spirits (don’t break the head off inside your body) and leeches can be removed with salt or heat.

G The chances of being attacked, stung or bitten by poisonous wildlife are extremely remote but, if a poisonous snake or spider should bite, try to stay calm, wrap the area in a tight bandage, keep very still and send for medical help. H A similar procedure applies to poisonous marine life. Sea wasps are a deadly type of jellyfish which sting with their tentacles, causing telltale welt marks. Wash the wound with vinegar and don’t remove the stingers. Do not swim in unprotected waters. Areas of danger – particularly those involving sharks, crocodiles and stingers – have clearly marked signs. Even if your English is less than perfect, the signs have clear illustrations of the potential dangers of an area. I

Bushwalking If bushwalking or camping, be sure to leave an itinerary with friends and go carefully prepared for the contingency of getting lost. Remember that nights can be freezing despite the daytime temperature.

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Fire Bans Respect fire bans (broadcast on the radio) and be careful with cigarette butts and broken glass which can ignite bush fires in hot, dry weather. If caught in a fire, head for a clearing (avoid dense tree growths). If in a car get off the road, stay in the vehicle, get under the dashboard and cover yourself, preferably with a woollen blanket.

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Health Services Australia offers free service at public hospitals to its own citizens and permanent residents and has universal health care under the Medicare system. This covers most or all of the cost of visiting a doctor. However, these services only extend to citizens of the United Kingdom and New Zealand. All visitors will have to pay in full and up-front for dental treatment, ambulance charges and medicines. The cost of an unsubsidised, standard visit to a doctor is currently around A$35, but serious illness can be much more expensive. Traveller’s insurance covering medical care and medicines is therefore highly recommended. A personal basic medical kit could also be a good idea.

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Health in Australia Australia has a very high standard of hygiene and very safe food and drinking water. As a result special precautions are unnecessary. No vaccinations are required unless some time has been spent in an infected country in the previous two weeks, although immunisation is always a good idea if your international itinerary is broad.

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Australian Roads There is a very clear division between inland and coastal roads. The built-up coastal area from South Australia to Queensland (and the south western corner of Western Australia) is served by modern freeways and good quality sealed roads. The further inland the traveller goes, the worse the roads become. In the far west of Queensland, for example, the roads can be unsealed and around the Gulf it is common for a road to only have a single width of tarmac. This means that if you come across a road train (they can be over 20 metres long) carrying cattle you have to head off the road. This is not a humorous suggestion. Road trains need all the road and expect on-coming traffic to head for the hills. They have trouble deviating and will destroy a car rather than endanger their entire load. *small animals which suck blood

Source: http://walkabout.com.au

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Sample pages from Instant IELTS

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GENERAL TRAINING READING PASSAGE 1

Traveller’s Tips 3 Follow-up

Questions 1–6 The passage has nine paragraphs labelled A–I. Which paragraphs contain the following information? Choose the appropriate letters A–I. 1 2 3 4 5 6

a comparison between the interior and areas near the sea a warning about luggage advice about clothing advice on litter information on a problem which doesn’t occur often reassurance about what you can eat

Questions 7–13 Do the following statements agree with the information given in reading passage 1? Write YES if the statement agrees with the information. NO if the statement contradicts the information. NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

If you try to bring things which are forbidden into Australia, you may be taken to court. Under certain circumstances, vaccinations are obligatory for entry to Australia. Only people with Australian nationality receive free medical treatment in Australia. If you are trapped in a bush fire while driving, you should abandon your car. Leech bites can cause dangerous infections. Sea swimming is completely safe in protected areas. If you meet a road train on a narrow road, leave the road.

Vocabulary Find words or phrases in the passage which mean: Paragraph A G isolation to prevent disease G immediate G taken to court Paragraph B G places you are going to visit, route you will take Paragraph C G in advance Paragraph D G prohibitions G go towards Paragraph E G possibility Paragraph F G carefully and completely Paragraph H G possible Paragraph I G approaching, coming in the opposite direction

Discussion Work in pairs. Imagine you are giving advice to visitors to your country. What traveller’s tips would you give? Mention: G what you can or can’t bring into the country. G health – especially food, drink and immunisation. G health services. G particular dangers, especially for visitors on holiday. G advice about the roads.

Questions 14–18 Complete the following table with words taken from the passage. Use ONE OR TWO WORDS for each answer. Problem or danger

Precaution or remedy

Medical costs

Obtain (14)................................... .

(15)........................ Find an open space away from trees. Getting lost in the bush

Tell someone your (16)................................ in advance.

Ticks and leeches

Examine (17).................................... carefully after a walk.

Snake or spider bite Put a (18)......................................... around it.

From Instant IELTS by Guy Brook-Hart © Cambridge University Press 2004

PHOTOCOPIABLE

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