| Try to practise these or similar activities as much as possible. The more you practise, the better you will become at each technique. |
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03. For each activity, decide whether you would use skimming or scanning.
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a. looking up a word in the dictionary
b. browsing the internet for the latest news stories
c. choosing a book from a library or bookshop
d. finding a particular news story in a newspaper
e. finding the price of a product in a catalogue
f. looking through a magazine for an interesting article |
04. The home in the photo cost about one billion dollars to build. What do you like or dislike about the design?
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| You are only reading for the main ideas at this stage, so remember to ignore unknown words. |
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05. Skim the text to understand the main ideas.
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Mukesh Ambani is one of the richest men in the world, and the first man to own a private residence costing more than one billion dollars to build. The home is on Altamout Road in Mumbai, one of the most expensive addresses in the world. Named after the mythical island Antilia, the property has 27 floors.
The interior of the home is very glamorous and each floor is made from different materials to give an individual look. Marble floors, rare wood and fine rugs are just some of the design features used to create this extravagant home. The lotus flower and the sun are common symbols used throughout. Many of the rooms have floor-to-ceiling glass windows, offering spectacular views of Mumbai and the Arabian sea.
The skyscraper has a multi-storey garage with space for 168 cars. Alternatively, there are also three helipads on the roof of the building. The lobby has numerous reception areas and nine lifts. There are also several floors for dining, vast libraries and a health spa, including a gym, several swimming pools and yoga facilities. There is even an 'ice-room' which creates man-made snow, a Hindu prayer room and several floors of gardens.
The Ambani residence is clearly designed to entertain guests. it has a theatre which seats 50, several guest bedrooms and a grand ballroom filled with chandeliers. |
| The living quarters are on the top floors, because the family wanted as much sunlight as possible. The 400,000 ft2 residence requires 600 staff, but all three Ambani children are required to clean their own rooms when they are at home. |
| Several experts have criticised the architecture of this very expensive home, comparing it to an unstable pile of books'. Mrs Ambani, however, describes her home as 'an elevated house on top of a garden' and 'a modern home with an Indian heart'. |
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06. Answer these questions.
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1. When you were skim reading the text, which of these types of word did you focus on: prepositions, articles, names, verbs, adjectives, numbers?
2. Discuss with a partner what you remember about the text.
3. What overall title would you give the text?
4. Put the information in the order in which it appears in the passage.
order:
a. where the family live
b. opinions on the house
c. the materials used for the interior
d. the cost and address of the house
e. the facilities in the house
f. the owner of the house
g. information about the theatre and ballroom
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| In many of the IELTS reading tasks, the answers appear in the same order as the text. |
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07. Now scan the text for the information to answer these questions.
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1. Who owns the property?
2. How many floors does it have?
3. What are the floors made out of?
4. What are the common symbols used throughout the house?
5. How many cars does the garage have space for?
6. How many people are required to work in the home?
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