Cambridge IELTS Academic 12 Reading Test 4 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: The history of glass ,Bring back the big cats , UK companies need more effective boards of directors

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1.

The history of glass

Answers	Keywords	Location	Explanations
1. obsidian	early humans, sharp	P1 L1	From our earliest origins, man has been making use of glass. Historians have discovered that a type of natural glass – obsidian – … was first used as tips for spears. ·         Man from our earliest origins = early human ·         Tip = sharp point ·         Make use of = use
2. spears	early humans, sharp	P1 L1	From our earliest origins, man has been making use of glass. Historians have discovered that a type of natural glass – obsidian – … was first used as tips for spears. ·         Man from our earliest origins = early human ·         Tip = sharp point ·         Make use of = use
3. beads	4000 BC, man-made glass	paragraph 1, lines 8-11	Archaeologists have even found evidence of man-made glass which dates back to 4000 BC; this took the form of glazes used for coating stone beads. ·         Coat = cover ·         the thing that was made of stone was beads.
4. impurities	First century BC, colored	paragraph B, lines 3-5	The glass made during this time was highly colored due to the impurities of the raw material. ·         Due to = because of
5. Romans	until 476 AD, only, knew	paragraph 2, lines 9-17	The secret of glass making was taken across Europe by the Romans during this century. However, they guarded the skills and technology required to make glass very closely, and it was not until their empire collapsed in 476 AD that glass-making knowledge became widespread throughout Europe and the Middle East. ·         they guarded= Romans ·         Glass-making knowledge = how to make glass
6. lead	17th century, George Ravenscroft,	paragraph 3, Line 5-8	He attempted to counter the effect of clouding that sometimes occurred in blown glass by introducing lead to the raw materials used in the process. ·         He= George Ravenscroft, ·         Counter= avoid
7. clouding	17th century, George Ravenscroft,	paragraph 3, Line 5-8	He attempted to counter the effect of clouding that sometimes occurred in blown glass by introducing lead to the raw materials used in the process. ·         He= George Ravenscroft, ·         Counter= avoid
8. taxes	Mid-19th century, British glass production	paragraph 4, lines 1-6	In Britain, the modern glass industry only really started to develop after the repeal of the Excise Act in 1845. Before that time, heavy taxes had been placed on the amount of glass melted in a glasshouse, and were levied continuously from 1745 to 1845.
9. TRUE	1887, HM Ashley	Paragraph 5, line 4-8	…..owner HM Ashley introduced………. …………..more than three times quicker than any previous production method. ·         more than three times quicker= more than three times fastest than any other
10. FALSE	Michael Owens, fully automated	Paragraph 5, line 8-10	………..founder of the Owens Bottle Machine Company. ·         Founder = owner ·         Michael Owens owned a large US company, he was not hired by them.
11. NOT GIVEN	Nowadays, large international manufacturers	—	Not mentioned about large international manufactures
12. TRUE	Concern, environment, leading to	paragraph 7, the first few lines	…… and with growing consumer concern for green issues, glass bottles and jars are becoming even more popular. ·         the environmental issues =green issues ·         even more popular =increased demand
13. FALSE	more expensive, produce recycled glass,  manufactured	paragraph 7, lines 6-10	As less energy is needed to melt recycled glass than to melt down raw materials, this also saves fuel and production costs. ·         saves production cost= cheap manufacturing cost

 

 

READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 .

Bring back the big cats

 

Answers	Keywords	Location	Explanations
14. D	2006 discovery, animal bone	paragraph 1 lines 7	Untill this discovery, the lynx…………..6.000 years ago,…..farming. But the 2006 find, …………. the lynx and the mysterious Llewellyn were in fact one and the same animal. If this is so, it would bring forward the tassel-eared cat’s estimated extinction date by roughly 5,000 years. ·           ·         the extinction of the lynx had happened much later than previously thought.
15. A	large predators, third paragraph	line 8- 15 of 3rd paragraph.	Some of them drive dynamic processes that resonate through the whole food chain, creating niches for hundreds of species that might otherwise struggled to survive. ·         creating niches for hundreds of species= bring diversity
16. C	British conservation, fourth paragraph	Lines 2-5 of paragraph 4	….which has often selected arbitrary assemblages of plants and animals and sought, at great effort and expense, to prevent them from changing… ….tried to preserve the living world as if it were a jar of pickles, letting nothing in and nothing out, keeping nature in a state of arrested development. ·         arbitrary= not seeming to be based on a reason, system or plan and sometimes seeming unfair ·         a jar of pickles= everything in a static state
17. A	Protecting, commercial fishing	Paragraph 5, line 1, 7	At sea the potential is even greater by ………… …..This policy would also greatly boost catches in the surrounding seas…. These lines suggest that there are some practical benefits of protecting large areas of the sea from commercial fishing
18. C	rewilding, other environmental campaigns	P6, line 1, 7	rewilding is a rare example of an environmental movement…….. ………….it helps to create a more inspiring vision ·         inpiring= appealing ·         vision= positive message
19. E	evidence, lynx, danger	P7, line 1	The lynx presents no threat to human beings: there is no known instance of one preying on people ·         No evidence = no known instance ·         Prey on = put something in danger
20. D	reduce the number, populations	Lines 7-10 of paragraph 7	It is a specialist predator of roe deer, a species that has exploded in Britain in recent decades, holding back, by intensive browsing, attempts to re-establish forests. It will also winkle out sika deer: an exotic species that is almost impossible for human beings to control, as it hides in impenetrable plantations of young trees.
·         21. F	minimal threat, from lynx habitats	paragraph 7, lines 14-18,	The lynx requires deep cover, and as such presents little risk to sheep and other livestock, which are supposed, as a condition of farm subsidies, to be kept out of the woods. ·         little risk = minimal threat
22. A	reintroduction, initiatives to return, native	paragraph 7 lines 11-13	The attempt to reintroduce this predator marries well with the aim of bringing forests back to parts of our bare and barren uplands. ·         marries well = link efficiently ·         The aim = initiatives ·         Bringing back = return
23. NO	first European country, reintroduce	paragraph 8 lines 9-12	The lynx has now been reintroduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France and the Harz Mountains in Germany, and has re-established itself in many more places. ·         re-established itself in many more places= not the first one
24. NOT GIVEN	large growth, since 1970,	P8, L 14-15	The European population has tripled since 1970 to roughly 10,000. But there is no discussion whether it has exceeded the expectation of the conservationists.
25. YES	changes, agricultural practices, extend, habitat	paragraph 8, lines 15-19	As with wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose and many other species, the lynx has been able to spread as farming has left the hills and ….. ·         has been able to spread= spread
26. YES	apparent, species reintroduction	paragraph 8, lines 20-21	……………….and people discover that it is more lucrative to protect charismatic wildlife than to hunt it. ·         lucrative= driving money= commercial

READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 .

UK companies need more effective boards of directors

Questions 27-33 (Matching Headings)

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
27	iv	responsible authority, blame, problems	Paragraph A, lines 6-8	The text mentions who is to blame for the issues, including governments, regulators, central banks, and auditors.
28	ii	scrutiny, companies, pressures, directors	Paragraph B, lines 2-3	The passage discusses the increased scrutiny on companies and the pressures on directors.
29	vi	less involvement, board, addressing important issues	Paragraph C, lines 2-3	The text talks about how the board’s involvement in addressing key issues has decreased.
30	viii	proposal, solution, professional board	Paragraph D, lines 1-4	The passage proposes a solution for large companies through a professional board, with no guarantee of success.
31	vii	criticism, boards, long-term matters	Paragraph E, lines 1-2	The text states that boards are often criticized for not focusing enough on long-term issues like strategy and sustainability.
32	i	disputes, compensation, CEO	Paragraph F, lines 1-2	The passage describes ongoing disputes over CEO compensation between investors, management, and board members.
33	iii	broaden, perspectives, corporate goals	Paragraph G, lines 5-6	The passage suggests that boards need to widen their perspectives and realign corporate goals.

Questions 34-37 (YES/NO/NOT GIVEN)

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
34	YES	scrutiny, boards, increased, economic downturn	Paragraph A, lines 4-10	The text confirms that scrutiny of boards increased after the economic downturn, especially following the 2008 crisis.
35	NOT GIVEN	banks, mismanaged, greater extent	-	The text doesn’t compare the mismanagement of banks to other businesses.
36	NO	board meetings, debate, full	Paragraph B, lines 10-12	The text mentions that board meetings have overloaded agendas, reducing time for full debate.
37	NO	committee structure, fully informed	Paragraph C, lines 1-2	The passage discusses that committees might make the board less involved in addressing important issues, not more.

Questions 38-40 (ONE WORD ONLY)

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
38	information	non-executive directors, disadvantage, lack of	Paragraph D, lines 10-11	Non-executive directors lacked information, preventing them from anticipating the 2008 financial crash.
39	financial	emphasis, short-term, considerations	Paragraph E, line 3	The passage states that boards focus too much on financial metrics that are short-term in nature.
40	investors/shareholders	pay, accept views	Paragraph F	The passage talks about boards accepting the views of investors or shareholders when it comes to pay.