All in the family
Read All in the family, an IELTS Reading practice passage. We can choose our friends, the saying goes, but we cannot choose our family of origin. Our parents provide the genetic material and make powerful early role models, but even more influential in determining what kind of adult we will become…
Passage preview
We can choose our friends, the saying goes, but we cannot choose our family of origin. Our parents provide the genetic material and make powerful early role models, but even more influential in determining what kind of adult we will become are our brothers and sisters our siblings. They occupy a position of unique intimacy in our lives and cast a longer shadow than many recognise or are prepared to acknowledge. By turns, enraging and lovable, familiar and mysterious, our brothers and sisters are the human beings who people our first social relationships. And a sibling relationship is the most enduring relationship many of us will ever have no less emotionally intense than the bonds we form with our spouses and our own children if only because they started when we were so young.
Vocabulary from this passage
29 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- assertive adjective
Having or showing a confident and forceful personality; bold and self-assured.
Training programs help employees become more assertive when presenting creative ideas to corporate executives.
- brackish water noun
Water that has more salinity than freshwater, but not as much as seawater.
New filtration systems offer highly efficient routes for treating brackish water found in aquifers.
- commercial navigation noun
The management and transportation of goods by ships along maritime routes for business purposes.
Severe winter storms often forced the suspension of commercial navigation across the northern seas.
- counterpart noun
A person or thing holding a position or performing a function corresponding to that of another.
The prime minister met with her foreign counterpart to negotiate the international trade pact.
- deploy verb
To bring into effective action; to utilize or implement a specific technology or system.
The new solar-powered grid infrastructure will be fully deployed across the province next year.
- desalination noun
The process of removing salt and other minerals from saline water to make it potable.
Arid coastal regions heavily rely on desalination plants to secure a stable drinking water supply.
- diagnostic imaging noun
Technologies used by clinicians to look inside the human body for clues about a medical condition.
Advances in diagnostic imaging allow for the early detection of anomalies without invasive surgery.
- differentiate verb
To recognize or express a distinct difference; to make someone or something appear distinct.
Adolescents often alter their clothing styles to differentiate themselves from their peer groups.
- disagreeable adjective
Highly unpleasant, offensive, or deeply distasteful to a person's senses, feelings, or mind.
The rough suspension of the cart made traveling over unpaved roads highly disagreeable.
- elaborate adjective
Detailed and complicated in design or planning; intricately decorated or constructed.
The ancient city was protected by an elaborate network of walls.
- enduring adjective
Lasting over a long period of time; durable or persistent despite challenges.
The treaty established an enduring peace agreement between the two historically conflicted nations.
- formative adjective
Serving to form something, especially having a profound and lasting influence on a person's development.
Early childhood experiences play a formative role in shaping long-term social and cognitive behaviors.
- free radicals noun
Unstable atoms or molecules that can cause cellular damage and contribute to aging and disease.
Antioxidants are crucial in neutralizing free radicals before they can harm delicate skin tissue.
- garrison noun
A body of troops stationed in a fortified place or town to defend it from potential adversaries.
The empire maintained a permanent garrison at the border to deter foreign incursions.
- internal revolt noun
An organized, armed rebellion against an established government or ruling authority within a country.
The central government deployed troops rapidly to suppress an internal revolt in the province.
- intimacy noun
Close familiarity or friendship; closeness characterized by deep emotional or social bonds.
The small size of the seminar group fostered a high degree of intellectual intimacy among students.
- longevity noun
Long life or the durability and extended service life of a material or product.
Applying protective coatings to automotive plastics can significantly improve their operational longevity.
- manipulate verb
To handle or control something skillfully, especially tools or matter at a microscopic scale.
Nanotechnology grants scientists the ability to manipulate individual atoms to create novel materials.
- mediator noun
A person or agent who attempts to make people involved in a conflict come to an agreement.
The human resources manager acted as a mediator to resolve the ongoing workplace dispute.
- negotiate verb
To obtain or arrange something by discussion and mutual agreement with another party.
Merchants had to negotiate trade terms with local authorities before selling their goods.
- nutritious yield noun
The total amount of nutrient-rich food or crop produced per unit of agricultural land.
Agricultural scientists are researching genetic modifications to increase the nutritious yield of staple crops.
- prominence noun
The state of being important, well-known, or highly noticeable within a particular sphere.
Environmental issues have achieved greater prominence in political debates over recent decades.
- prone to adjective
Likely or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something unpleasant or regrettable.
Individuals who sleep poorly are generally more prone to experiencing high levels of daytime stress.
- semiconductor noun
A solid substance that has a conductivity between that of an insulator and that of most metals.
Silicon is a widely used semiconductor essential for manufacturing modern computer microchips.
- suspension noun
The system of springs and shock absorbers by which a vehicle is supported on its wheels.
Modern luxury carriages featured an advanced suspension system to ensure a smooth ride.
- temperament noun
A person's nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior and emotional responses.
The psychological evaluation determined that the candidate possessed a calm and resilient temperament.
- vicinity noun
The area near or surrounding a particular place; proximity or local neighborhood.
Heavy industrial vehicles were legally prohibited from operating in the vicinity of residential areas.
- weather verb
To face and withstand a difficult situation, crisis, or period of hardship successfully.
Robust small businesses are better equipped to weather economic downturns without facing immediate insolvency.
- well-to-do adjective
Characterized by having more than adequate financial resources; highly wealthy, prosperous, or affluent.
During the summer months, well-to-do citizens would travel to coastal villas.