B2IELTS-style · Band 5.5–6.5Reading18 min

IELTS Reading: Communication and Language Facts

Language, communication and body language

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📖

IELTS Academic Reading Practice

Three Realities of Human Communication

📌 How to Use This Lesson (18 Minutes)

👨‍🏫 For Teachers:

• Set a strict 18-minute timer for silent individual reading and question completion.

• Check the answers together using the explanation under each question, then talk about the difference between 'No' and 'Not Given' and about careful words such as 'seem' and 'I think'.

🧑‍🎓 For Students:

• Skim paragraphs A–D within 3 minutes to grasp the core message and mark numerical landmarks.

• Locate direct textual proof for each question; do not assume facts outside the passage.

READING PASSAGE Recommended Reading Time: 7–8 minutes

Three Realities of Human Communication

The United Nations says that, according to the World Federation of the Deaf, there are more than 70 million deaf people in the world. Together they use more than 300 different sign languages. In December 2017 the UN General Assembly chose 23 September as the International Day of Sign Languages, and the day was first celebrated in 2018.

In 1967 the psychologist Albert Mehrabian and two colleagues published studies on how people work out attitudes when the words and the other signals do not agree. His formula for liking gives 7% to the words, 38% to the voice and 55% to the face. He has written that the equations came from experiments on feelings and attitudes, and that unless a speaker is talking about feelings or attitudes they do not apply.

UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report states that, by one estimate, as much as 40% of the world's population does not have access to an education in a language they speak or understand. The paper is called "If you don't understand, how can you learn?", and the figure also appears on UNESCO's page for International Mother Language Day.

These facts seem to show that communication is more than the words people choose. I think a message can be lost when the language, the voice or the setting is wrong. However, the facts here do not show how often any one kind of signal decides what people understand.

Questions 1–3: Yes / No / Not Given

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage? Choose YES, NO, or NOT GIVEN.

1. The first International Day of Sign Languages took place in the year after the UN General Assembly chose its date.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

2. Mehrabian says that his percentages apply to every kind of everyday conversation.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

3. UNESCO says that the 40% figure is higher for deaf learners than for hearing learners.

____ YES ____ NO ____ NOT GIVEN

Questions 4–5: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

4. What were Albert Mehrabian's 1967 studies about?

____ A. To show that spoken words matter very little in any conversation ____ B. To find out how people judge attitudes when the words and the other signals do not agree ____ C. To describe the grammar of the sign languages used around the world ____ D. To prove that the voice is a more accurate guide than the face

5. What is the writer's view in Paragraph D?

____ A. Facial expressions will soon replace spoken language ____ B. The 7%, 38% and 55% figures should be used to mark every talk ____ C. Communication is more than words, but the facts do not show that one kind of signal always decides understanding ____ D. Misunderstanding disappears when everyone speaks the same language

Questions 6–7: Matching Information

Which paragraph contains the following information? Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

6. A figure for the share of the world's people who cannot study in a language they understand.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

7. The day and month chosen for a yearly international day.

____ Paragraph A ____ Paragraph B ____ Paragraph C ____ Paragraph D

Questions 8–10: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below. Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Words, Voice and Setting in Communication

In 1967 Albert Mehrabian and two colleagues studied how people judge what a speaker really means when the words and the other signals do not agree. His

Question 8: His ... for liking ____ (Write ONE word from Paragraph B)

for liking gives the face the biggest share, 55%, the voice 38% and the words only 7%. He adds that these equations come from experiments on attitudes and

Question 9: attitudes and ... ____ (Write ONE word from Paragraph B)

, and do not apply to other kinds of talk. The writer also believes that a message can be lost if the language, the voice or the

Question 10: the voice or the ... ____ (Write ONE word from Paragraph D)

is not right.

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