ielts - tuoanh MON - THURS| C9
Name: ______ READY FOR IELTS
HOMEWORK D12
READING (Test builder 2)
Reading Passage 1: You should spend 20 minutes on Questions 1 - 13, which is based on
Reading Passage 1
Questions 1-4
Reading passage 1 has five sections A—E. Choose the correct heading for sections B-E from
the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i—viii, in boxes 1-4 on your answer
sheet.
Example
Section A v
1 Section B ________
2 Section C ________
3 Section D ________
4 Section E ________
Section A
The world has changed dramatically since Thomas Malthus's work An Essay on the Principle
of Population, first published in 1798, argued that by the mid 1800s the unrestricted
expansion of the human population would outgrow the agricultural land available to supply
humanity with food. Over 150 years have passed since this theoretical milestone, but
mankind, admittedly somewhat more cramped, is still expanding and will continue to do so.
Section B
The impact of unfettered population growth is clear for all to see. Urbanization is now a
more evident worldwide phenomenon than previously as even greater numbers of people
drift from rural areas to vast cities all over the world like Tokyo, Mexico City and Mumbai
(26.4 million, 18.4 million and 18.1 million inhabitants in 2000 respectively) in their quest for
a better life. These mega-cities, i.e. conurbations with an estimated population of more than
10 million people, are springing up in every continent. Now teeming with humanity, they are
hungry for one increasingly valuable resource: land.
While developments in agricultural technology ensure humanity may be able, by and large,
to feed the people flocking to these great metropolises, the expansion of the human race is
fuelling an unprecedented appetite for real estate. Space, whether it be for personal or public
use, corporate or national, human or flora/fauna, is now at a premium as we move into a
new century. Not only is more land required for accommodation, but also for a wide range of
infrastructure facilities. Transport systems including roads within and between cities need
to be constructed or upgraded to create motorways; green fields are turned into airports;
virgin forest is stripped to provide food and firewood. In poorer regions, this newly exposed
land becomes desert, completing the cycle of destruction.
Section C
Hitherto, the most common practice for the utilization of expensive space for living and
working has been to build upwards; hence, the demand for ever higher buildings, both
apartment and commercial, in major cities like New York, Shanghai and Singapore all vying
with each other for the tallest buildings. There has also been a tradition for building
underground, not just for transport systems, but for the storage of waste, depositories for
books etc. as in London, where The British Library housing millions of books has been built
largely underground.
Recent years have seen more novel construction developments around the world. In the past,
in many countries, Holland and the UK included, marshes and floodplains have been
reclaimed from the sea. Like the city of Venice in Italy, housing complexes and even airports
have now been constructed off-shore to amazing effect. In Japan, Kansai International
Airport has been built off-shore on a man-made island at vast expense and in Dubai a very
imaginative and expensive housing complex in the shape of a palm tree is being built just off
the coast on land created by a construction company. However, these and other
developments are at risk from rising sea levels as a consequence of global warming.
Section D
But where will the human race go when planet earth is full? There have been many theories
put forward about the human population moving to outer space. Marshall Savage (1992,
1994), for example, has projected that the human population will reach five quintillion
throughout the solar system by the year 3000, with the majority living in the asteroid belt.
Arthur C Clarke, a fervent supporter of Savage, now argues that by the year 2057 there will be
humans on the Moon, Mars, Europa, Ganymede, Titan and in orbit around Venus, Neptune
and Pluto. Feeman Dyson (1999) favours the Kuiper belt as the future home of humanity,
suggesting this could happen within a few centuries.
Section E
Habitation in outer space in huge stations is no longer just a dream, but a reality. A
permanent international space station now orbits the earth. The first commercial tourist
recently went into outer space with more trips planned for the near future. This is only a
beginning, but the development of space hotels is not far-off. There is no knowing where
mankind may end up. But the ideas about off-world habitation are not fanciful and I am sure
I am not alone in fantasizing about summer holidays spent watching the moons rising in
some far-flung planet or on a floating hotel somewhere on the Andromeda nebula.
Questions 5-8
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.
5 The movement of rural people to cities is a.
6 Land is now a very....................., as a result of the growing demand for space. The
feeding of the human race will perhaps be guaranteed by changes in
8 Besides the demands of accommodation, land is needed for various
Questions 9-13
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet write
YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
9 The destruction of land for food and firewood is linked to desertification.
10 Shortage of space has also led to underground building construction.
11 The building of the airport in Japan cost much more than that of the housing complex in
Dubai.
12 Arthur C Clarke was the only person to predict that mankind will inhabit other parts of the
solar system.
13 The concept of the habitation of outer space by mankind is unimaginable.
LISTENING (Test builder 2)
Section 2: Questions 11-20
Questions 11-13
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
11 The land for development has not been used for over a .................. .
12 There was pressure to build a training centre and a .................. .
13 Sponsorship has been received from a number of .................. the land.
Questions 14-20
Label the plan below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
Section 4: Questions 31 - 40
Questions 31- 37 : Choose the correct letter A, B, or C.
31 The purpose of the data collection was to
A test people's reaction to different buildings.
B collect detailed information on various buildings.
C assess the beauty of different public buildings.
32 The initial plan to use a questionnaire was abandoned, because
A it would take too much time to produce.
B the questions were too difficult to write.
C it would take too long for people to complete.
33 People indicated their reactions on a 1-5 scale,
A giving rise to some interesting answers.
B ensuring that the information was easier to collect.
C making it quicker to choose the top three images.
34 To make sure people could see the detail in the images better
A only daylight images were used.
B black and white images were used.
C the images were produced in colour.
35 What was done to preserve the images when being used?
A they were covered in plastic with a special machine.
B people were asked to wear gloves when touching them.
C the images were handled only by the researcher.
36 Among the people who formed part of the sample were
A tourists from various places.
B office workers during lunch-break.
C commuters as they exited stations.
37 What was the reason for appointing a leader for the group?
A to comply with the instructions for the task.
B to help hold the team together.
C to allocate tasks to the various members.
Questions 38-40
Which findings match the age groups of the image testing? Write the appropriate letter
A—D next to each age group.
Findings
A varied reaction
B mainly scored 1
C mostly scored 3
D mainly scored 5
38 11-18 year-olds _______
39 20-40 year-olds _______
40 50 years old and over _______
