GT IELTS Collection 1 Reading Test 15

Six Ice Cream Makers Worth Melting For

Whether you dream of silky gelato or nostalgic soft-serve, there's a machine here with your name on it. From high-tech marvels to hands-on shakers, our six favourite ice cream makers prove that summer's sweetest moments start at home.

A. The Gelato Maestro

This is engineering you can taste. A built-in sensor detects the moment your mixture reaches perfect consistency and stops mixing automatically, while twelve hardness settings cover everything from silky frozen yoghurt to firm gelato. The built-in freezer means no pre-chilling, and a cheerful tune announces when dessert is served. Beautifully made, with a price tag to match its ambitions.

B. The ChillBlitz XL

Craving ice cream now? The ChillBlitz XL delivers in as little as twenty minutes, every batch as reliable as the last. Three automated programmes mean anyone can master it, and the unusually generous two-litre bowl keeps whole families happy. It hums along louder than most, and the results lean soft rather than scoopable. But when dessert arrives this fast and this consistently, who's waiting for it to firm up?

C. The ShakeAway

Part gadget, part party trick. Load ice and salt into the base, pour your ingredients into the stainless-steel tub, and shake for three minutes or more. Measure exactly, shake with commitment, and you'll be rewarded with delightfully soft ice cream, plus an arm workout. Simple, efficient fun for anyone who likes dessert with a side of effort.

D. The TwirlMate Attachment

Already own a food mixer? Then you're halfway to ice cream. The TwirlMate is one of fifteen attachments for your trusty mixer; no standalone machine required. Simply freeze the bowl ahead of time, click it into place, and let the mixer do the work. Some recipes are ready in just twenty minutes. Quick, easy, and wonderfully space-saving.

E. The Penny Whip

Proof that homemade ice cream needn't cost a fortune. One of the cheapest models in our selection, the Penny Whip is a genuine bargain for budget-conscious dessert lovers. Its paddle is less robust than pricier rivals and the recipe selection is slim, but at this price, you can afford a cookbook and still come out ahead.

F. The EasyScoop Digital

Dessert without the drama. Pop on the lid, pour in your ingredients, set the timer on the crystal-clear digital display, and walk away. The included recipe book is packed with tasty ideas to keep inspiration flowing. A handful of customers found it fiddly to disassemble for washing, though our reviewers had no such trouble.

Cornish Cooking Weekend

Escape to Cornwall for a relaxed three-night cooking course designed for complete beginners, confident home cooks and everyone in between. Based at a comfortable country hotel near the coast, the weekend combines practical tuition with the chance to enjoy excellent regional food made with fresh Cornish produce. Dietary needs can be accommodated with notice.

The course price includes all cooking tuition and three nights’ dinner, bed and breakfast in a twin or double room. Each evening, guests can unwind over a seasonal meal featuring local specialities such as fresh seafood, artisan cheeses and traditional Cornish desserts.

The programme begins on Friday afternoon with registration, a welcome drink and an introduction to the kitchen. Saturday and Sunday include morning demonstrations, supervised cooking sessions and shared lunches prepared by the group. Lessons cover essential knife skills, sauces, bread, fish, meat and desserts, with recipes adapted to suit different levels of experience. On Monday morning, participants take part in a final practical session before departure after lunch.

Classes are limited to twelve participants, allowing everyone to receive individual advice from the tutors. Participants should bring an apron, several tea towels, a notebook and suitable closed-toe shoes. A set of sharp kitchen knives is also essential, although limited sets may be available to borrow. Recommended items include a digital thermometer, a reusable food container and a camera or phone for recording finished dishes.

The fee does not include travel insurance, personal cooking equipment or transport to the hotel. Guests must make their own travel arrangements, although car sharing with other participants is popular and can be coordinated before the course. Full directions and a participant contact list are provided after booking.

Mechanical Lifting on Site

Mechanical lifting is one of the highest-risk activities on any construction site, and for that reason it is governed by strict rules covering the equipment itself, the planning of each lift, and the behaviour of everyone working nearby.

To begin with, all lifting equipment must be manufactured to a high standard. One way of confirming this is to check that the machinery carries an official mark, which demonstrates that it meets recognised safety requirements. In certain cases, a piece of equipment may also need to undergo tests before it is put into service for the first time, ensuring it can safely handle the loads it was designed for. Beyond this initial stage, some items require a regular check by an engineer, whose thorough examinations help to identify wear, damage or faults long before they lead to a failure.

Where cranes are concerned, a further layer of protection comes in the form of lift plans. A lift plan is drawn up before any crane operation takes place and is used to establish and carry out control measures for any risks that have been identified, such as unstable ground, overhead cables or high winds. Importantly, planning is not left to managers alone: a lifting crew can be consulted during a 'Tool Box Talk', a short briefing in which workers discuss the operation, raise concerns and agree on how the lift will proceed.

Preventing accidents with heavy loads also depends on simple, practical precautions. Objects such as barriers can be positioned around the working area to make certain that a suspended load never passes over anyone's head. In addition, a banksman is often appointed; this person's role is to give verbal directions to the crane driver, guiding every movement of the load, particularly when the driver's view is restricted.

Finally, it is worth remembering that danger does not come from cranes alone. Secondary lifting equipment — items such as chains, slings, hooks and shackles — is in fact more likely to cause injuries than the crane itself. Because these accessories are handled constantly and can deteriorate quickly, they demand careful selection, correct attachment and frequent inspection.

In short, safe mechanical lifting relies on well-made and properly tested equipment, thorough planning that involves the whole crew, and sensible measures on the ground to keep people well away from harm.

Strategies for Managing Customer Complaints

Dealing with a dissatisfied customer is seldom enjoyable, but it is one of the most important skills a person in a customer-facing role can acquire. With the right approach, a tense interaction can often be turned into an opportunity to restore trust and build a stronger relationship.

The first priority is to remain composed. When a customer speaks loudly or uses aggressive language, it can be difficult not to take their remarks personally. However, the complaint is usually not directed at you as an individual. In most cases, the customer is upset because the service or product did not meet their expectations, so their anger is aimed at the problem rather than the person dealing with it. You should therefore avoid treating the exchange as an argument that must be won, as challenging the customer will only make the situation worse.

Listening attentively is equally important. Instead of interrupting or immediately offering a detailed explanation, use brief responses such as “I see” or “I understand” to indicate that you are following what the customer is saying. These simple acknowledgements reassure them that their concerns are being taken seriously. An angry customer is unlikely to consider a solution until their emotions have subsided, so allowing them time to speak is not a delay but a necessary stage in resolving the issue.

Once the customer has become calmer, focus on establishing exactly what occurred. Ask relevant questions about the circumstances, including what happened, when it took place, and how the problem arose. This helps shift the interaction away from conflict and towards a constructive discussion. As more information is gathered, the customer will often begin to place greater trust in you because your questions show that you are genuinely committed to resolving the matter.

The final step is to propose an appropriate course of action. To respond confidently, you need a clear understanding of your organisation’s complaints procedure, including when a refund, replacement, or formal apology may be offered. Providing a reasonable solution without unnecessary delay can produce a highly positive result. A customer whose complaint has been resolved effectively may not only use the company again but also recommend it to friends, relatives, or colleagues.

The nature of Yawning

A. Paragraph A

While fatigue, drowsiness or boredom easily bring on yawns, scientists are discovering there is more to yawning than most people think. Not much is known about why we yawn or if it serves any useful function. People have already learned that yawning can be infectious. “Contagious yawning” is the increase in likelihood that you will yawn after watching or hearing someone else yawn, but not much is known about the underlying causes, and very little research has been done on the subject. However, scientists at the University of Albany, as well as the University of Leeds and the University of London, have done some exploration.

B. Paragraph B

It is commonly believed that people yawn as a result of being sleepy or tired because they need oxygen. However, the latest research shows that a yawn can help cool the brain and help it work more effectively, which is quite different from the popular belief that yawning promotes sleep and is a sign of tiredness. Dr Andrew Gallup and his colleagues at the University of Albany in New York State said their experiments on 44 students showed that raising or lowering oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood did not produce that reaction. In the study, participants were shown videos of people laughing and yawning, and researchers counted how many times the volunteers responded to the “contagious yawns”. The researchers found that those who breathed through the nose rather than the mouth were less likely to yawn when watching a video of other people yawning. The same effect was found among those who held a cool pack to their forehead, whereas those who held a warm pack yawned while watching the video. Since yawning occurs when brain temperature rises, sending cool blood to the brain serves to maintain the best levels of mental efficiency.

C. Paragraph C

Yawning is universal to humans and many animals. Cats, dogs, and fish yawn just like humans do, but they yawn spontaneously. Only humans and chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, have shown definite contagious yawning. Though much of yawning is due to suggestibility, sometimes people do not need to actually see a person yawn to involuntarily yawn themselves: hearing someone yawning or even reading about yawning can cause the same reaction.

D. Paragraph D

However, contagious yawning goes beyond mere suggestibility. Recent studies show that contagious yawning is also related to our predisposition toward empathy— the ability to understand and connect with others’ emotional states. So empathy is important, sure, but how could it possibly be related to contagious yawning? Leave it up to psychologists at Leeds University in England to answer that. In their study, researchers selected 40 psychology students and 40 engineering students. Generally, psychology students are more likely to feel empathy for others, while engineering students are thought to be concerned with objects and science. Each student was made to wait individually in a waiting room, along with an undercover assistant who yawned 10 times in as many minutes. The students were then administered an emotional quotient test: students were shown 40 images of eyes and asked what emotion each one displayed. The results of the test support the idea that contagious yawning is linked to empathy. The psychology students—whose future profession requires them to focus on others—yawned an average of 5.5 times contagiously in the waiting room and scored 28 out of 40 on the emotional test. The engineering students—who tend to focus on things like numbers and systems—yawned an average of 1.5 times and scored 25.5 out of 40 on the subsequent test. The difference doesn’t sound like much, but researchers consider it significant. Strangely enough, women, who are generally considered more emotionally attuned, didn’t score any higher than men.

E. Paragraph E

Another study, led by Atsushi Senju, a cognitive researcher at the University of London, also sought to answer that question. People with autism disorder are considered to be developmentally impaired emotionally. Autistics have trouble connecting with others and find it difficult to feel empathy. Since autistics have difficulty feeling empathy, they shouldn’t be susceptible to contagious yawning. To find out, Senju and his colleagues placed 49 kids aged 7 to 15 in a room with a television. 24 of the test subjects had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder; the other 25 were non-autistic kids. The test subjects were shown short clips of people yawning as well as clips of people opening their mouths but not yawning. While the kids with autism had the same lack of reaction to both kinds of clips, the non-autistic kids yawned more after the clips of people yawning.

F. Paragraph F

There also have been studies that suggest yawning, especially psychological “contagious” yawning, may have developed as a way of keeping a group of animals alert and bonding members of a group into a more united one. If an animal is drowsy or bored, it may not be as alert as it should be to be prepared to spring into action, and its yawning is practically saying, “Hey, I need some rest; you stay awake”. Therefore, a contagious yawn could be an instinctual reaction to a signal from one member of the herd reminding the others to stay alert when danger comes. So the theory suggests evidence that yawning comes from the evolution of early humans to be ready to physically exert themselves at any given moment.

Research universities

A. University of Albany

B. University of Leeds

C. University of London

The nature of Yawning

Paragraph A

While fatigue, drowsiness or boredom easily bring on yawns, scientists are discovering there is more to yawning than most people think. Not much is known about why we yawn or if it serves any useful function. People have already learned that yawning can be infectious. “Contagious yawning” is the increase in likelihood that you will yawn after watching or hearing someone else yawn, but not much is known about the underlying causes, and very little research has been done on the subject. However, scientists at the University of Albany, as well as the University of Leeds and the University of London, have done some exploration.

Paragraph B

It is commonly believed that people yawn as a result of being sleepy or tired because they need oxygen. However, the latest research shows that a yawn can help cool the brain and help it work more effectively, which is quite different from the popular belief that yawning promotes sleep and is a sign of tiredness. Dr Andrew Gallup and his colleagues at the University of Albany in New York State said their experiments on 44 students showed that raising or lowering oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood did not produce that reaction. In the study, participants were shown videos of people laughing and yawning, and researchers counted how many times the volunteers responded to the “contagious yawns”. The researchers found that those who breathed through the nose rather than the mouth were less likely to yawn when watching a video of other people yawning. The same effect was found among those who held a cool pack to their forehead, whereas those who held a warm pack yawned while watching the video. Since yawning occurs when brain temperature rises, sending cool blood to the brain serves to maintain the best levels of mental efficiency.

Paragraph C

Yawning is universal to humans and many animals. Cats, dogs, and fish yawn just like humans do, but they yawn spontaneously. Only humans and chimpanzees, our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, have shown definite contagious yawning. Though much of yawning is due to suggestibility, sometimes people do not need to actually see a person yawn to involuntarily yawn themselves: hearing someone yawning or even reading about yawning can cause the same reaction.

Paragraph D

However, contagious yawning goes beyond mere suggestibility. Recent studies show that contagious yawning is also related to our predisposition toward empathy— the ability to understand and connect with others’ emotional states. So empathy is important, sure, but how could it possibly be related to contagious yawning? Leave it up to psychologists at Leeds University in England to answer that. In their study, researchers selected 40 psychology students and 40 engineering students. Generally, psychology students are more likely to feel empathy for others, while engineering students are thought to be concerned with objects and science. Each student was made to wait individually in a waiting room, along with an undercover assistant who yawned 10 times in as many minutes. The students were then administered an emotional quotient test: students were shown 40 images of eyes and asked what emotion each one displayed. The results of the test support the idea that contagious yawning is linked to empathy. The psychology students—whose future profession requires them to focus on others—yawned an average of 5.5 times contagiously in the waiting room and scored 28 out of 40 on the emotional test. The engineering students—who tend to focus on things like numbers and systems—yawned an average of 1.5 times and scored 25.5 out of 40 on the subsequent test. The difference doesn’t sound like much, but researchers consider it significant. Strangely enough, women, who are generally considered more emotionally attuned, didn’t score any higher than men.

Paragraph E

Another study, led by Atsushi Senju, a cognitive researcher at the University of London, also sought to answer that question. People with autism disorder are considered to be developmentally impaired emotionally. Autistics have trouble connecting with others and find it difficult to feel empathy. Since autistics have difficulty feeling empathy, they shouldn’t be susceptible to contagious yawning. To find out, Senju and his colleagues placed 49 kids aged 7 to 15 in a room with a television. 24 of the test subjects had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder; the other 25 were non-autistic kids. The test subjects were shown short clips of people yawning as well as clips of people opening their mouths but not yawning. While the kids with autism had the same lack of reaction to both kinds of clips, the non-autistic kids yawned more after the clips of people yawning.

Paragraph F

There also have been studies that suggest yawning, especially psychological “contagious” yawning, may have developed as a way of keeping a group of animals alert and bonding members of a group into a more united one. If an animal is drowsy or bored, it may not be as alert as it should be to be prepared to spring into action, and its yawning is practically saying, “Hey, I need some rest; you stay awake”. Therefore, a contagious yawn could be an instinctual reaction to a signal from one member of the herd reminding the others to stay alert when danger comes. So the theory suggests evidence that yawning comes from the evolution of early humans to be ready to physically exert themselves at any given moment.