Second Nature Reading Answers, IELTS Passage

Second Nature Reading Answers: The Second Nature IELTS Reading Answers passage is an excellent opportunity for students to enhance their reading skills and boost their overall IELTS band score. This passage explores the concept of personality development and the potential for individuals to change key traits over time. It highlights the work of psychologists who focus on qualities like optimism, courage, and passion, showing how these characteristics can be cultivated. By practicing with passages like Second Nature IELTS Reading Answers, students can better familiarize themselves with the types of questions they may encounter, helping them improve their comprehension and answering strategies for the IELTS reading exam.

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Second Nature Reading Answers Passage

Second Nature

1. Psychologists have long held that a person's character cannot undergo a transformation in any meaningful way and that the key traits of personality are determined at a very young age. However, researchers have begun looking more closely at ways we can change. Positive psychologists have identified 24 qualities we admire, such as loyalty and kindness, and are studying them to find out why they come so naturally to some people. What they're discovering is that many of these qualities amount to habitual behaviour that determines the way we respond to the world. The good news is that all this can be learned.

2. Some qualities are less challenging to develop than others, optimism being one of them. However, developing qualities requires mastering a range of skills which are diverse and sometimes surprising. For example, to bring more joy and passion into your life, you must be open to experiencing negative emotions. Cultivating such qualities will help you realise your full potential.

3.  'The evidence is good that most personality traits can be altered,' says Christopher Peterson, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, who cites himself as an example. Inherently introverted, he realised early on that as an academic, his reticence would prove disastrous in the lecture hall. So he learned to be more outgoing and to entertain his classes. 'Now my extroverted behaviour is spontaneous,' he says.

4.  David Fajgenbaum had to make a similar transition. He was preparing for university, when he had an accident that put an end to his sports career. On campus, he quickly found that beyond ordinary counselling, the university had no services for students who were undergoing physical rehabilitation and suffering from depression like him. He therefore launched a support group to help others in similar situations. He took action despite his own pain - a typical response of an optimist.

5.  Suzanne Segerstrom, professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, believes that the key to increasing optimism is through cultivating optimistic behaviour, rather than positive thinking. She recommends you train yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things that come about each day. This will help you convince yourself that favourable outcomes actually happen all the time, making it easier to begin taking action.

6. You can recognise a person who is passionate about a pursuit by the way they are so strongly involved in it. Tanya Streeter's passion is freediving - the sport of plunging deep into the water without tanks or other breathing equipment. Beginning in 1998, she set nine world records and can hold her breath for six minutes. The physical stamina required for this sport is intense but the psychological demands are even more overwhelming. Streeter learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her body and mind could do. 'In my career as a competitive freediver, there was a limit to what I could do - but it wasn't anywhere near what I thought it was/ she says.

7.  Finding a pursuit that excites you can improve anyone's life. The secret about consuming passions, though, according to psychologist Paul Silvia of the University of North Carolina, is that 'they require discipline, hard work and ability, which is why they are so rewarding.' Psychologist Todd Kashdan has this advice for those people taking up a new passion: 'As a newcomer, you also have to tolerate and laugh at your own ignorance. You must be willing to accept the negative feelings that come your way,' he says.

8.  In 2004, physician-scientist Mauro Zappaterra began his PhD research at Harvard Medical School. Unfortunately, he was miserable as his research wasn't compatible with his curiosity about healing. He finally took a break and during eight months in Santa Fe, Zappaterra learned about alternative healing techniques not taught at Harvard. When he got back, he switched labs to study how cerebrospinal fluid nourishes the developing nervous system. He also vowed to look for the joy in everything, including failure, as this could help him learn about his research and himself.

9. One thing that can hold joy back is a person's concentration on avoiding failure rather than their looking forward to doing something well. 'Focusing on being safe might get in the way of your reaching your goals,' explains Kashdan. For example, are you hoping to get through a business lunch without embarrassing yourself, or are you thinking about how fascinating the conversation might be?

10.  Usually, we think of courage in physical terms but ordinary life demands something else. For marketing executive Kenneth Pedeleose, it meant speaking out against something he thought was ethically wrong. The new manager was intimidating staff so Pedeleose carefully recorded each instance of bullying and eventually took the evidence to a senior director, knowing his own job security would be threatened. Eventually the manager was the one to go. According to Cynthia Pury, a psychologist at Clemson University, Pedeleose's story proves the point that courage is not motivated by fearlessness, but by moral obligation. Pury also believes that people can acquire courage. Many of her students said that faced with a risky situation, they first tried to calm themselves down, then looked for a way to mitigate the danger, just as Pedeleose did by documenting his allegations. Over the long term, picking up a new character trait may help you move toward being the person you want to be. And in the short term, the effort itself could be surprisingly rewarding, a kind of internal adventure.

Second Nature Reading Answers Sample Questions

Questions 1-7: Summary Completion

Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Psychologists have traditionally believed that a person’s (1) __________ is fixed from an early age. However, new research suggests that some personality traits can be learned and developed over time. For example, people can cultivate (2) __________ by adopting certain behaviours. One technique recommended by experts is to write down three (3) __________ each day. Developing a passion also requires effort and (4) __________ as seen in individuals like Tanya Streeter, who overcame mental and physical challenges to succeed in (5) __________. Similarly, Todd Kashdan advises people to be open to (6) __________ and embrace new experiences despite difficulties. Meanwhile, Mauro Zappaterra found that taking a break from research and learning about (7) __________ helped him regain enthusiasm for his work.

Questions 8-13: Matching People with Statements

Match each statement with the correct person (A-H).
Write the correct letter (A-H) next to each question.

People:
A. Christopher Peterson
B. David Fajgenbaum
C. Suzanne Segerstrom
D. Tanya Streeter
E. Paul Silvia
F. Todd Kashdan
G. Mauro Zappaterra
H. Kenneth Pedeleose

8. Demonstrated courage by taking a stand against unethical behaviour.

9. Believes that developing new passions requires persistence and effort.

10. Used personal struggles to create a support system for others.

11. Changed his mindset by focusing on positivity in everyday experiences.

12. Argues that behaviour, rather than thought patterns, is key to increasing optimism.

13. Overcame self-doubt to achieve success in a physically demanding activity.

Second Nature Reading Answers with Explanations

1. Character

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 1: "Psychologists have long held that a person's character cannot undergo a transformation in any meaningful way..."

• Explanation: The passage states that psychologists traditionally believed that character is fixed from a young age, making "character" the correct answer.

2. Optimism

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 2: "Some qualities are less challenging to develop than others, optimism being one of them."

• Explanation: The passage explicitly states that optimism is one of the easier qualities to develop.

3. Positive things

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 5: "She recommends you train yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things that come about each day."

• Explanation: The passage mentions that writing down "three positive things" daily can help develop an optimistic mindset.

4. Discipline

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 7: "The secret about consuming passions, though, according to psychologist Paul Silvia of the University of North Carolina, is that they require discipline, hard work and ability..."

• Explanation: The passage states that discipline is necessary to develop a strong passion.

5. Freediving

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 6: "Tanya Streeter's passion is freediving - the sport of plunging deep into the water without tanks or other breathing equipment."

• Explanation: Tanya Streeter’s passion is explicitly stated as freediving.

6. Failure

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 7: "Todd Kashdan has this advice for those people taking up a new passion: 'As a newcomer, you also have to tolerate and laugh at your own ignorance.'"

• Explanation: Kashdan emphasizes the importance of accepting mistakes and difficulties when developing a passion.

7. Alternative healing

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 8: "During eight months in Santa Fe, Zappaterra learned about alternative healing techniques not taught at Harvard."

• Explanation: Zappaterra explored alternative healing techniques, which helped him regain his passion for research.

8. Kenneth Pedeleose

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 10: "For marketing executive Kenneth Pedeleose, it meant speaking out against something he thought was ethically wrong."

• Explanation: Pedeleose stood up against unethical behaviour in his workplace, making him the correct answer.

9. Paul Silvia

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 7: "The secret about consuming passions, though, according to psychologist Paul Silvia of the University of North Carolina, is that 'they require discipline, hard work and ability...'"

• Explanation: Silvia explains that passions require persistence and effort.

10. David Fajgenbaum

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 4: "He therefore launched a support group to help others in similar situations."

• Explanation: Fajgenbaum used his personal experience with depression and rehabilitation to help others.

11. Mauro Zappaterra

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 8: "He also vowed to look for the joy in everything, including failure..."

• Explanation: Zappaterra changed his approach to focus on positivity, making him the right answer.

12. Suzanne Segerstrom

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 5: "She recommends you train yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things..."

• Explanation: Segerstrom suggests focusing on actions rather than just thoughts to increase optimism.

13. Tanya Streeter

• Location in Passage: Paragraph 6: "Streeter learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her body and mind could do."

• Explanation: She overcame mental and physical barriers to succeed in freediving.

Tips To Answer Second Nature Reading Answers

Here are important tips for international students to answer the Second Nature IELTS Reading Answers:

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