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 5
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 10
you could be prosecuted.

B 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 15
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.

C 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.
D Fire Bans
20
G The chances of being attacked, stung or bitten by poisonous
25 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. 55
H A similar procedure applies to poisonous marine life. Sea
30 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 60

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.
E 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
involving sharks, crocodiles and stingers – have clearly marked
signs. Even if your English is less than perfect, the signs have
35 clear illustrations of the potential dangers of an area.
I Australian Roads
There is a very clear division between inland and coastal 65
roads. The built-up coastal area from South Australia to
Queensland (and the south western corner of Western
40 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 70

the daytime temperature.
F 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.
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
45
road. This is not a humorous suggestion. Road trains need all 75
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.
50
*small animals which suck blood

Source: http://walkabout.com.au

8 Sample pages from Instant IELTS

 GENERAL TRAINING READING PASSAGE 1 Traveller’s Tips

Questions 1–6 3 Follow-up

The passage has nine paragraphs labelled A–I.
Which paragraphs contain the following information? Vocabulary
Choose the appropriate letters A–I. Find words or phrases in the passage which mean:
1 a comparison between the interior and areas near the sea Paragraph A G isolation to prevent disease
G immediate
2 a warning about luggage
G taken to court
3 advice about clothing
4 advice on litter Paragraph B G places you are going to visit, route you
5 information on a problem which doesn’t occur often will take
6 reassurance about what you can eat Paragraph C G in advance
Paragraph D G prohibitions
G go towards
Paragraph E G possibility
Questions 7–13
Paragraph F G carefully and completely
Do the following statements agree with the information Paragraph H G possible
given in reading passage 1? Paragraph I G approaching, coming in the opposite direction
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the information.
NO if the statement contradicts the information.
Discussion
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage. Work in pairs. Imagine you are giving advice to visitors to
7 If you try to bring things which are forbidden into your country. What traveller’s tips would you give?
Australia, you may be taken to court. Mention:
8 Under certain circumstances, vaccinations are obligatory G what you can or can’t bring into the country.
for entry to Australia. G health – especially food, drink and immunisation.
9 Only people with Australian nationality receive free G health services.
medical treatment in Australia. G particular dangers, especially for visitors on holiday.
10 If you are trapped in a bush fire while driving, you should G advice about the roads.
abandon your car.
11 Leech bites can cause dangerous infections.
12 Sea swimming is completely safe in protected areas.
13 If you meet a road train on a narrow road, leave the road.

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 Tell someone your
the bush (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 55
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