Reading Passage 1 has 5 paragraphs, A – E. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter A – E in the boxes below.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
1 A natural phenomenon that could also affect climate change.
2 Steps we can take to help reverse the situation.
3 An explanation of what climate change is.
4 Organisations that want to help.
5 Possible effects of climate change.
From Q1 to Q5, we can use a technique called skimming (quickly read the whole passage to understand its meaning, structure and the main content of each paragraph). We start to read and answer the questions after skimming. When skimming, you should pay attention to these details:
A small tip: In this kind of question, normally one paragraph goes with one question only. To be more specific, if paragraph A is the answer for question 1, there will be very little chance for it to appear in another question. | |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q1: A natural phenomenon that could also affect climate change. | The greenhouse effect is very important when we talk about climate change as it relates to the gases which keep the Earth warm. Although the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon. |
Note: Pay attention to the word "also" in the question, which means the natural phenomenon mentioned in Q1 cannot be the first factor affecting climate change in the passage. To be more specific, the first factor the author referred to is human (in paragraph A), then the second is the greenhouse effect (paragraph B). After skimming and considering all given information in Q1, we can conclude that the answer is B. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q2: Steps we can take to help reverse the situation. | ... less energy is consumed as renewable energy is generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat—which can be naturally replenished. Another way to help the environment, in terms of climate change, is by travelling light. ... In addition, using products that are made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduces carbon emissions ... |
Note: The important content words in Q2 are "steps" and "reverse the situation", all of them is related to some kind of solution of climate change. As a result, we will search for a paragraph which mentions more than one solutions for climate change. After skimming, we have an idea of the structure of the whole passage. The solutions we need to find is in paragraph E, so E is the answer for this question. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q3: An explanation of what climate change is. | Nowadays, however, the term ‘climate change’ is generally used when referring to changes in our climate which have been identified since the early part of the twentieth century |
Note: The important content word in Q3 is explanation. As a result, we will look for a paragraph which have a definition/explanation of climate change. As we already skimmed throughout the passage to answer Q2, we can have a guess that the answer for Q3 is in the beginning of the passage. To be more specific, the author refers to climate change explanation in paragraph A, so the answer for Q3 is A. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q4: Organisations that want to help. | There are many institutions around the world whose sole priority is to take action against these environmental problems |
Note: The keywords in A4 are "organisations" and "want to help". Therefore, we will search for a paragraph which stated something about organisations which want to do something to deal with climate change. As A, B and E has been used as the answer for 3 first questions, we just need to take a closer look at the rest paragraph (C and D) in order to save time. The answer for Q4 is D. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q5: Possible effects of climate change. | looking at the knock-on effects of potential changes. For example, are we likely to see an increase in precipitation and sea levels? Does this mean there will be an increase in flooding and what can we do to protect ourselves from that? How will our health be affected by climate change, how will agricultural practices change and how will wildlife cope? What will the effects on coral be? |
Note: After skimming and considering every details, we can conclude that the answer for this question is C. Tips: As we have already jump through the first 4 questions, we can guess the answer for the last one is the paragraph which hasn't been used in answering (paragraph C) and read C carefully first - to save time, of course. |
Look at the following people (Questions 6 -9) and the list of statements below. Match each person with the correct statement, A – F.
6 Professor Max Leonard
7 Dr Michael Crawley
8 Professor Mark Halton
9 Dr Ray Ellis
A | We have the ability to change the situation |
B | Climate Change is Inevitable |
C | Humans have made the situation much worse |
D | Climate Change might not be all bad |
E | Human activity and natural weather phenomena |
F | While we may not be too late to save our planet, there are bound to be some extreme side-effects of past human activity one way or the other |
From Q6 to Q9, we use a technique called scanning. As the question is about matching each researcher with the correct finding, we will scan the whole passage, looking for the name of the research to find the location of the needed information. For example, in Q6, we need to search for the finding of Max Leonard. Scanning the whole passage for the word "Marian Annett", we find it at the end of paragraph C. Therefore, the information to answer Q6 is probably around this area. To find "Max Leonard" easily, you just need to look at words which have first letter CAPITALIZED.. | |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q6: Professor Max Leonard D. Climate Change might not be all bad | Professor Max Leonard has suggested, ‘while it may be controversial some would argue that climate change could bring with it positive effects as well as negative ones’. |
Note: Scanning all over the passage, we find that the keyword "Max Leonard" is mentioned in paragraph C. The information in graph C is similar with that of option D. So the answer is D. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q7: Dr Michael Crawley C. Humans have made the situation much worse | such as Dr Michael Crawley, argue: ‘even though this natural phenomenon does exist it is without a doubt human activity that has worsened its effect |
Note: Scanning all over the passage, we find that the keyword "Michael Crawley" is mentioned in paragraph B. The information in graph B is similar with that of option C. So the answer is C. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q8: Professor Mark Halton A. We have the ability to change the situation | Professor Mark Halton, who has completed various studies in this field, has stated: ‘with all this information and the possible action that we can take, it isn’t too late to save our planet from over-heating and the even worse side-effects of our own activity |
Note Scanning all over the passage, we find that the keyword "Mark Halton" is mentioned in paragraph E. The information in graph E is similar with that of option A. So the answer is A. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q9: Dr Ray Ellis B. Climate Change is Inevitable | Dr Ray Ellis suggests: ‘human activity may be contributing a small amount to climate change but this increase in temperature is an unavoidable fact |
Note Scanning all over the passage, we find that the keyword "Ray Ellis" is mentioned in paragraph B. The information in graph B is similar with that of option B. So the answer is B. |
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In spaces 10-13 below, write
YES | if the statement agrees with the views of the writer |
NO | if the statement contradicts the views of the writer |
NOT GIVEN | if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this |
10 Man is not entirely responsible for global warming.
11 Scientists have come up with new evidence about the negative effects of carbon-free sources of energy such as nuclear power
12 One of the purposes of Green Peace is to find out which companies and governments are doing things which don’t help the actions of environmentalists.
13 Most people aren’t willing to start using renewable energy.
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q10: Man is not entirely responsible for global warming. | Although the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it is believed that the effect could be intensified by human activity and the emission of gases into the atmosphere...human activity may be contributing a small amount to climate change but this increase in temperature is an unavoidable fact |
Note Considering every details in the question and in the passage, we can conclude that Q10 is confirmed in the passage. Therefore, the answer is TRUE. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q11: Scientists have come up with new evidence about the negative effects of carbon-free sources of energy such as nuclear power | Walking or riding a bike instead of driving a car uses fewer fossil fuels which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, using products that are made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduces carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to limit climate change naturally as they (trees) remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere |
Note By skimming, we can guess the information in Q11 is related to paragraph E (as the main content of E is steps we can take to reverse the situation, including the use of renewable resources). However, we cannot find any clues referring to the negative effects of carbon-free sources such as nuclear power. Therefore, we can conclude that the answer is NOT GIVEN. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q12: One of the purposes of Green Peace is to find out which companies and governments are doing things which don’t help the actions of environmentalists. | Green Peace is the organisation that is probably the most well-known. It is an international organisation that campaigns in favour of researching and promoting solutions to climate change, exposes the companies and governments that are blocking action, lobbies to change national and international policy, and bears witness to the impacts of unnecessary destruction and detrimental human activity. |
Note Considering every details in the question and in the passage, we can conclude that Q12 is confirmed in the passage. So the answer is TRUE. |
Keywords in Question | Similar words in Passage |
Q13: Most people aren’t willing to start using renewable energy. | Fortunately, the use of renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular, |
Note In the question, it is stated that the use of renewable energy is not popular However, in the passage, the author referred to the use of renewable energy as it is becoming increasingly popular. Hence, the answer for this question is FALSE. |
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 – 13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
A
The climate of the Earth is always changing. In the past it has altered as a result of natural causes. Nowadays, however, the term ‘climate change’ is generally used when referring to changes in our climate which have been identified since the early part of the twentieth century. The changes we’ve seen over recent years and those which are predicted to occur over the next 100 years are thought by many to be largely a result of human behavior rather than due to natural changes in the atmosphere. And this is what is so significant about current climactic trends; never before has man played such a significant role in determining long-term weather patterns – we are entering the unknown and there is no precedent for what might happen next.
B
The greenhouse effect is very important when we talk about climate change as it relates to the gases which keep the Earth warm. Although the greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon, it is believed that the effect could be intensified by human activity and the emission of gases into the atmosphere. It is the extra greenhouse gases which humans have released which are thought to pose the strongest threat. Certain researchers, such as Dr Michael Crawley, argue: ‘even though this natural phenomenon does exist it is without a doubt human activity that has worsened its effect; this is evident when comparing data regarding the earth’s temperature in the last one hundred years with the one hundred years prior to that.’ Some scientists, however, dispute this as Dr Ray Ellis suggests: ‘human activity may be contributing a small amount to climate change but this increase in temperature is an unavoidable fact based on the research data we have compiled.
C
Scientists around the globe are looking at all the evidence surrounding climate change and using advanced technology have come up with predictions for our future environment and weather. The next stage of that work, which is just as important, is looking at the knock-on effects of potential changes. For example, are we likely to see an increase in precipitation and sea levels? Does this mean there will be an increase in flooding and what can we do to protect ourselves from that? How will our health be affected by climate change, how will agricultural practices change and how will wildlife cope? What will the effects on coral be? Professor Max Leonard has suggested, ‘while it may be controversial some would argue that climate change could bring with it positive effects as well as negative ones’.
D
There are many institutions around the world whose sole priority is to take action against these environmental problems. Green Peace is the organisation that is probably the most well-known. It is an international organisation that campaigns in favour of researching and promoting solutions to climate change, exposes the companies and governments that are blocking action, lobbies to change national and international policy, and bears witness to the impacts of unnecessary destruction and detrimental human activity.
E
The problem of climate change is without a doubt something that this generation and the generations to come need to deal with. Fortunately, the use of renewable energy is becoming increasingly popular, which means that less energy is consumed as renewable energy is generated from natural resources—such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat—which can be naturally replenished. Another way to help the environment, in terms of climate change, is by travelling light. Walking or riding a bike instead of driving a car uses fewer fossil fuels which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. In addition, using products that are made from recycled paper, glass, metal and plastic reduces carbon emissions because they use less energy to manufacture than products made from completely new materials. Recycling paper also saves trees and lets them continue to limit climate change naturally as they remain in the forest, where they remove carbon from the atmosphere. Professor Mark Halton, who has completed various studies in this field, has stated: ‘with all this information and the possible action that we can take, it isn’t too late to save our planet from over-heating and the even worse side-effects of our own activity
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