Academic/General Training Module by Adam Smith First Published in 2015

 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
168 
buying and many duck egg producers went bankrupt. Indeed, there is a risk of 
salmonella poisoning when ducks lay their eggs in damp conditions, such as on ground 
that is constantly wet, but the same can be said for the eggs of hens. And commercial 
duck egg production in France and England, where the outbreaks of salmonella 
poisoning took place, followed the same standards as those used in the hen egg 
industry, which experienced no salmonella problems. (Storage of eggs, whether those 
of hen or duck, can also be a factor in contamination. Studies have found that bacterial 
growth reaches C or greater. potentially dangerous levels at storage temperatures of 5 
The salmonella scare was over by the early 1980s, but, at least in smaller markets like 
Australia and New Zealand, few producers wished to risk investment in ducks for fear 
of problems. No large-scale commercial duck egg production exists in these countries. 
It has thus been left to small producers, and, more commonly, home duck keepers. 
____________________________________ 
poultry: farm birds (e.g., chickens, geese, ducks) 
  
Questions 1-6 
Classify the characteristics listed below as belonging to: 
D Ducks 
H Hens 
NI If there is no information in the reading passage 
Write the appropriate letters in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet. 
Example more vulnerable to illness Answer: H 
1. more eggs per week 
2. lengthier laying period 
3. less likely to uproot plans 
4. dangerous to grass 
5. eat more grain 
6. better mothers 
Questions 7-10 

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 IELTS
 JOURNAL 
 
169 
Complete the partial summary below: Choose ONE or TWO words from the passage 
for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet. 
To prevent their ... (7) ... from getting dirty, ducks should have access to water. This 
may be provided by building a pond, but ducklings under ... (8) ... of age should be 
prevented from entering it because of the ... (9) ... of the water. If too many ducks are 
kept on a plot of land, the soil may eventually become ... (10) ... as a result of 
compaction. For this reason, it is advised that one limits the number of ducks per half 
hectare of land to 100.