Cambridge IELTS 18 test 3 reading answers with explanation
Reading Passage 1
Materials to take us beyond concrete
Which section contains the following information?
1. an explanation of the industrial processes that create potential raw materials for concrete
G – Paragraph G, first to last line. Fly ash and slag from iron ore are possible alternatives to cement in a concrete mix, Fly ash, a byproduct of coal burning power plants, can be incorporated…………….. Iron-ore slag , a byproduct of the iron-ore smelting process, can be used in a similar way. Their incorporation into concrete mixes has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Explanation:– Fly ash and iron ore slag (raw material for concrete) can be used in the place (not completely replaced) of cement. The industrial process which produces fly ash is coal burning in power plants, and the iron-ore smelting process produces iron-ore slag.
2. A reference to the various locations where high-rise wooden buildings can be found
D – Paragraph D, third to last line. Recent years have seen the emergence of tall buildings constructed almost entirely from timber. Vancouver, Vienna and Brumunddal in Norway are all home to constructed tall, wooden buildings.
Explanation:– Locations: Vancouver, Vienna and Brumunddal
3. An indication of how widely available the raw materials of concrete are
C – Paragraph C, first two line. Not only are the ingredients of concrete relatively cheap and found in abundance in most places around the globe, the stuff itself has marvelous properties: Portland cement,
Explanation:– Raw material of concrete is cement, which is found in abundance(widely available).
4. The belief that more high-rise wooden buildings are needed before wood can be regarded as a viable construction material
F – Paragraph F, from bottom fourth to last line. But even treated wood has its limitations and only when a wider range of construction projects has been proven in practice will it be possible to see wood as a real alternative to concrete in constructing tall buildings.
Explanation:- The meaning of these lines is that if more big buildings made of wood become successful, then it can be regarded as an alternative to concrete.
Making buildings with wood
5. Wood is a traditional building material, but current environmental concerns are encouraging …………… to use wood in modern construction projects.
Architects – Paragraph D, first three line. Making buildings from wood may seem like a rather medieval idea, but climate change is driving architects to turn to treated timber as a possible resource.
6. For example, as ………………. in the atmosphere enters wood, it increases in size.
Moisture – Paragraph E, first two line. Wood expands as it absorbs moisture.
Explanation:- Expand = increase, Absorbs = enter
7. In one process …………….. of solid wood are glued together to create building blocks.
Layers – Paragraph E, fourth & fifth line. An adhesive is used to stick layers of solid-sawn timber together, crosswise, to form building blocks.
8. Expert say that wooden buildings are an improvement on those made of concrete and steel in terms of the …………….……… with which they can be constructed and how much noise is generated by the process.
Speed – Paragraph E’s last two lines. Construction experts say that wooden buildings can be constructed at a greater speed than ones of concrete and steel and the process, it seems, is quieter.
Write the correct letter A, B, C, D.
9. The environmental advantage of cement alternatives may not be as great as initially assumed.
C (Anna Surgenor) – Paragraph G, second part fourth to last line. Anna Surgenor – But there are several calculations that need to be considered across the entire life cycle of the building – these include factoring in where these materials are being shipped from. If they are transported over long distances, using fossil fuels, the use of alternative materials might not make sense from an overall carbon reduction perspective.
Explanation:- If a product used in place of concrete to make a building is shipped from a distant place, a huge amount of fossil fuel might be used, which will not be environmentally friendly. After considering everything (everything was not considered before), the environmental advantage of cement alternatives can be found, said Anna Surgenor.
10. It would be hard to create a construction alternative to concrete that offers so many comparable benefits.
A (Chris Cheeseman) – Paragraph C, sixth to last line. According to Cheeseman, all these factors together make concrete hard to beat. ‘Concrete is amazing stuff. Making anything with similar properties is going to be very difficult.’
Explanation:- Hard to beat = Nothing is equal and above this. Concrete has many beneficial properties that cannot be developed in any other material, said Chris Cheeseman.
11. Worries about the environmental have led to increased interest in wood as a construction material.
B (Markus Mannstrom) – Paragraph F, first three line. Stora Enso is Europe’s biggest supplier of cross-laminated timber, and its vice-president Markus Mannstrom reports that the company is seeing increasing demand globally for building in wood, with climate change concerns the key driver.
Explanation:- Climate change concerns = Worries about the environment, Increased interest = Increased demand.
12. Expense has been a factor in the negative response to the development of new cements.
D (Felix Preston and Johanna Lehne) – Paragraph H, third to last line. Felix Preston and Johanna Lehne of the UK’s Royal Institute of International Affairs reached the conclusion that,’ Some novel cements have been discussed for more than a decade within the research community, without breaking through. At present these alternatives are rarely as cost-effective as conventional cement, and they face raw material shortages and resistance from customers.’
Explanation:- Alternatives are rarely as cost-effective as conventional cement: it means alternatives are more expensive than cement, which is a negative factor.
13. The environmental damage caused by concrete is due to it being produced in large quantities.
A (Chris Cheeseman) – Paragraph B, last three line. Chris Cheeseman – ‘Concrete is not a high-carbon product. Cement is high carbon, but concrete is not. But it is scale on which it is used that makes it high carbon. The sheer scale of manufacture is so huge, that is the issue.’
Explanation:- Concrete does not produce much carbon but cement. When a large quantity of concrete is produced, the small amount of carbon produced by concrete increases to a high amount.
Reading Passage 2
The Steam Car
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of leading below.
Write the correct number, I – Viii
14. Paragraph A
iii (Good and bad aspects of steam technology are passed on) – Paragraph – A, fourth to seventh line. But these early cars inherited steam’s weakness along with its strengths. The boilers had to be lit by hand, and they required about twenty minutes to build up pressure before they could be driven. Furthermore, their water reservoirs only lasted for about thirty miles before needing replenishment.
Explanation:- Steam technology has some strengths and weaknesses, which are described in A paragraph. When steam engines were used to make those cars, all the benefits and problems of steam engines came (passed on) in cars.
15. Paragraph B
viii (A better option than the steam car arises) – Paragraph B, first three lines. But the glory days of steam cars were few. A new technology called the Internal Combustion Engine soon appeared, which offered the ability to drive down the road just moments after starting up.
Explanation:- The internal combustion engine was the new technology that was started using in cars. It was a better option because it could run cars in a few minutes after starting the engine. On the other hand, steam engines took around 20 minutes to move the car.
16. Paragraph C
vi (Positive publicity at last for this quiet, clean, fast vehicle) – Paragraph C, last five lines. The Model B proved to be superior to gasoline automobiles in many ways. Its high-pressure steam drove the engine pistons in virtual silence, in contrast to clattering gas engines which emitted the aroma of burned hydrocarbons. Perhaps most impressively, the Model B was amazingly swift. It could accelerate from zero to sixty miles per hour in just fifteen seconds, a feat described as ‘remarkable acceleration’ by automobile magazine in 1914.
Explanation:- Model B was quiet (virtual silence), clean (did not produce hydrocarbon) and fast (swift). It was publicized in an automobile magazine in 1914.
17. Paragraph D
v (Further improvements lead to commercial orders) – Paragraph D, last five lines. With these enhancements, the Dobles’ new car company promised a steam vehicle which would provide all of the convenience of a gasoline car, but with much greater speed, much simpler driving controls, and a virtually silent powerplant. By the following April, the General Engineering Company had received 5,390 deposits for Doble Detroits, which were scheduled for delivery in early 1918.
Explanation:- Improvements Doble promised were greater speed, simple driving control and a silent engine. Due to this, they received the order of 5390 cars, which were to be delivered by 1918.
18. Paragraph E
vii (A disappointing outcome for customers) – Paragraph E, second to fourth line. Those buyers who received the handful of completed cars complained that the vehicles were sluggish and erratic, sometimes going in reverse when they should go forward.
Explanation:- The result of buying cars was disappointing because their vehicles were slow, faulty, and even went backwards.
19. Paragraph F
i (A period in cold conditions before the technology is assessed) – Paragraph F, first five lines. In early 1924, the Doble brothers shipped a Model E to New York city to be road-tested by the Automobile Club of America. After sitting overnight in freezing temperatures, the car was pushed out into the road and left to sit for over an hour in the frosty morning air. At the turn of the key, the boiler lit and reached its operating pressure inside of forty seconds.
Explanation:- The temperature was freezing at night, and the air was very cold before Model E was being tested in New York.
20. Paragraph G
iv (A possible solution to the issues of today) – Paragraph G, last six lines. Astonishingly, an unmodified Doble Model E runs clean enough to pass the emissions laws in California today, and they are pretty strict. It is true that the technology poses some difficult problems, but you cannot help but wonder how efficient a steam car might be with the benefit of modern materials and computers. Under the current pressure to improve automotive performance and reduce emissions, it is not unthinkable that the steam car may rise again.
Explanation:- Doble’s Model E does not cause much pollution. It even passed today’s strict emission laws in California. Although steam car engines cause many problems, modern materials and computers can be used to improve them and bring them into use. It can reduce the pollution problem of today’s world.
Choose the correct letter A, B, C, D.
21. What point does the writer make about the steam car in Paragraph B?
A (Its success was short-lived) – Paragraph B, first three lines. But the glory days of steam cars were few. A new technology called the Internal Combustion Engine soon appeared, which offered the ability to drive down the road just moments after starting up.
Explanation:- The glory days of steam cars were few = Its success was short-lived. It happened because of the invention of the Internal Combustion engine, which was quicker to run than the steam engine.
22. When building their first steam car, the Doble brothers
C (needed several attempts to achieve a competitive model) – Paragraph C, second to eight line. Abner Doble and his three brothers built their first steam car in their parents’ basement. It comprised parts taken from a wrecked early steam car but reconfigured to drive an engine of their own design. ………….. Though the Doble boys’ third prototype , nicknamed the Model B, still lacked the convenience of an internal combustion engine, it drew the attention of automobile trade magazines due to its numerous improvements over previous steam cars.
Explanation:- Doble brothers first made their steam car using a wrecked(damaged/destroyed) steam car, and then, they built a second and third prototype(first model). The third model was much better (competitive) than previous steam cars, and due to that, it grabbed to attention of automobile trade magazines. So they tried (attempt) three times to make a better steam car model.
23. In order to produce the Model C, the Doble brothers
B (raised financial capital) – Paragraph D, first three lines. The following year Abner Dobre drove the Model B from Massachusetts to Detroit in order to seek investment in his automobile design, which he used to open the General Engineering Company. He and his brothers immediately began working on the Model C,
Explanation:- Capital = money used for specific purpose such as developing something or starting a company. Here, “seek investment” means “raise financial capital”.
The Model E
24. A later version of the Model E raised its ………………., while keeping its emissions extremely low.
Speed – Paragraph F, from bottom, third to last line. As the new Doble streamer was further developed and tested, its maximum speed was pushed to over a hundred miles hour,
25. Under ………………. cars were produced before the company went out of business.
Fifty – Paragraph G, fourth & fifth line. Fewer than fifty of the amazing Model E steam cars had been produced.
26. They are straightforward to maintain, and they satisfy California’s ………………emissions laws.
Strict – Paragraph G, fifth line from bottom. Model E runs clean enough to pass the emissions laws in California today, and they are pretty strict.
Reading Passage 3
The Steam Car
Choose the correct letter A, B, C, D.
27. The writer describes the Romeo and Juliet lesson in order to demonstrate
B (how a teacher handles a range of learning needs) – Paragraph 1, fourth to fifteenth line. He’s give some of the students copies of No Fear Shakespeare, a kid-friendly translation of the original. For three students, even these literacy demands are beyond them…………. He can ask most of the class about character development, and five of them might be able to support their statements with textual evidence.
Explanation:- To enable all students to read NO Fear Shakespeare, the teacher used different methods such as giving pens and paper to draw, asking some students to identify the main characters, asking most of the students about character development and support statement with evidence. So, in one class, students were provided with different tasks to understand the meaning of NO Fear Shakespeare.
28. What does the writer say about streaming in the third paragraph?
A (It has a very broad appeal) – Paragraph 3, last five lines. Within schools, it means selecting students into a ‘stream’ of general ability, or ‘sets’ of subject-specific ability. The practice is intuitively appealing to almost every stakeholder.
Explanation:- Appealing = attractive. Every stakeholder = concerned people. In the education sector (schools), streaming is attractive (appealing) to everyone who is related (concerned) to this business.
29. What idea is suggested by the reference to Mount Qomolangma in the fifth paragraph?
C (students not achieving their full potential) – Paragraph 5, first to last line. Mixed-ability classes bore students, frustrate parents and burn out teachers. The brightest ones will never summit Mount Qomolangma, and the stragglers won’t enjoy the lovely stroll in the park they are perhaps more suited to. Individuals suffer at the demands of the collective, mediocrity prevails.
Explanation:- In classes, there are students with different abilities. Because of some weak students, bright students cannot achieve their full potential, and teachers have to maintain a level of education which is suitable for everyone. So, even bright students remain mediocre.
30. What does the word ‘scaffolding’ in the sixth paragraph refer to?
C (the assistance given to a student in their initial stages of learning) – Paragraph 6, sixth to twelve line. This is the gap between what they can achieve only with support – teachers, textbooks, worked examples, parents and so on – and what they can achieve independently. The purpose of teaching is to provide and then gradually remove this ‘scaffolding’ until they are autonomous.
Explanation:- Scaffolding = Support/a stage to level up someone or something. Once students reach a certain level of education, this support is removed. So they get it only at the start (initial stage).
Complete the summary using the list of phrases, A-I.
Is streaming effective?
31. According to Professor John Hattie of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, there is very little indication that streaming lead to ……………………..
H (higher achievements) – Paragraph 7, third to sixth line. Professor John Hattie, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute, notes that ‘tracking has minimal effects on learning outcomes’.
Explanation:- Higher achievement cannot be obtained if something does not yield much positive learning outcomes. It means the method (tracking/streaming) is not effective in performing well.
32. He points out that, in schools which use streaming, the most significant impact is on those students placed in the …………, especially
D (bottom sets) – Paragraph 7, sixth to ninth line. What is more, streaming appears to significantly – and negative – affect those students assigned to the lowest sets.
33. Especially, where a large proportion of them have ………….. .
F (disadvantaged backgrounds) – Paragraph 7, ninth to eleventh line. These students tend to have much higher representation of low socioeconomic class.
34. Meanwhile, for the ………., there appears to be only minimal advantage.
E (brightest pupils) – Paragraph 7, bottom third to fifth line. Less significant is the small benefit for those lucky clever students in the higher sets.
Explanation:- Pupil = Students
35. A further issue is that teachers tend to have ……….………. of students in streamed groups.
B (lower expectations) – Paragraph 8, first to seventh line. In the latest update of Hattie’s influential meta-analysis of factors influencing student achievement, one of the most significant factors is the teachers’ estimate of achievement. Streaming students by diagnosed achievement automatically limits what the teacher feels the student is capable of.
Explanation:- Diagnostic test = a test that measure the capabilities of students before teaching to them. When teachers have diagnosed student’s achievement, they limit themselves to that level and do not expect more from them. It means diagnosed achievement limits teachers’ expectations about what students are capable of.
Yes No Not Given
36. The Vygotsky model of education supports the concept of a mixed-ability class.
No – Paragraph 6 last six lines. If we accept this model, it follows that streaming students with similar ZPDs would be an efficient and effective solution. And that forcing everyone on the same hike – regardless of aptitude – would be madness.
Explanation:– Lev Vygotsky says that forcing all students with different abilities to do the same thing is madness. So, Vygotsky’s model of education does not support the concept of a mixed-ability class.
37. Some teachers are uncertain about allowing students to take on MKO roles in the classroom.
Not Given – Paragraph 9, last four lines. While teachers are traditionally the MKOs in the classrooms, the value of knowledgeable student peers must not go unrecognized either.
Explanation:– There is no information on the uncertainty of teachers about allowing students to take on MKO roles in the classroom.
38. It can be rewarding to teach knowledge which you have only recently acquired.
Yes – Paragraph 10, last seven lines. There is also something exciting about passing on skills and knowledge that you yourself have just mastered – a certain pride and zeal , a certain freshness to the interaction between ‘teacher’ and ‘learner’ that is often lost by the expert for whom the steps are obvious and the joy of discovery forgotten.
Explanation:- Teaching what has been recently learned gives a sense of pride and zeal. So, the answer is yes.
39. The priority should be to ensure that the highest-achieving students attain their goals.
No – Paragraph 11, fifth to eight line. And today, more than ever, we need the many to flourish – not suffer at the expense of a few bright stars.
Explanation:– The Opposite is written in the paragraph as compared to the questions. It (paragraph) says weak students should not suffer due to some bright students. So the answer is no.
40. Taking part in collaborative outdoor activities with teachers and classmates can improve student outcomes in the classroom.
Not Given – Paragraph 10, last six lines. Once a year, I go on a bike with my class, a mixed bunch of students. It is challenging. The fittest students realize they need to encourage the reluctant. There are lookouts who report back, and extra items to carry for others. We make it – together.
Explanation:– No such information about the question is given in these lines.
