Cambridge IELTS Academic 18 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Urban farming , Forest management in Pennsylvania, USA , Conquering Earth’s space junk problem

READING PASSAGE 1

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

Urban farming

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the Question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
1	Vertical tubes are used to grow strawberries, …………………… and herbs.	vertical tubes, strawberries, herbs	lettuces	Paragraph 2, Line 7-8	"From identical vertical tubes nearby burst row upon row of lettuces."
2	There will eventually be a daily harvest of as much as …………………… in weight of fruit and vegetables.	daily harvest, weight, fruit and vegetables	1,000 kg	Paragraph 2, Line 18-20	"20 staff will harvest up to 1,000 kg of perhaps 35 different varieties of fruit and vegetables, every day."
3	It may be possible that the farm’s produce will account for as much as 10% of the city’s …………………… overall.	farm's produce, account for, 10%, city's	(food) consumption	Paragraph 2, Line 29-31	"there’s no reason why you shouldn’t eventually target maybe between 5% and 10% of consumption"
4	Intensive farming uses a wide range of …………………… .	intensive farming, wide range of, used	pesticides	Paragraph 3, Line 1-2	"I don’t much like the fact that most of the fruit and vegetables we eat have been treated with something like 17 different pesticides"
5	Intensive farming uses varieties of fruit and vegetables chosen that can survive long …………………… .	intensive farming, varieties of fruit and vegetables, survive long	journeys	Paragraph 3, Line 4-5	"that the intensive farming techniques that produced them are such huge generators of greenhouse gases" and "that their quality is so poor, because the varieties are selected for their capacity to withstand such substantial journeys"
6	In intensive farming, …………………… receive very little of overall income.	intensive farming, wholesalers and transport companies, overall income	producers	Paragraph 3, Line 9-10	"or that 80% of the price I pay goes to wholesalers and transport companies, not the producers"
7	Aeroponic urban farming produces crops selected for their …………………… .	produce chosen, because of	flavor / flavour	Paragraph 4, Line 10-11	"You can select crop varieties for their flavor, not their resistance to the transport and storage chain, and you can pick them when they’re really at their best, and not before"
8	Urban farming can take place above or below ground.	urban farming, above or below ground	TRUE	Not explicitly stated in the passage, but urban farming is mentioned as taking place in various locations such as rooftops, disused shipping containers, and underground carparks.
9	Some of the equipment used in aeroponic farming can be made by hand.	equipment, aeroponic farming, made by hand	NOT GIVEN	No information provided in the passage about whether the equipment used in aeroponic farming can be made by hand.
10	Urban farming relies more on electricity than some other types of farming.	urban farming, electricity, other types of farming	FALSE	Paragraph 4, Line 17-18	"The equipment weighs little, can be installed on almost any flat surface and is cheap to buy: roughly 100 to 150 per square meter. It is cheap to run, too, consuming a tiny fraction of the electricity used by some techniques."
11	Fruit and vegetables grown on an aeroponic urban farm are cheaper than traditionally grown organic produce.	fruit and vegetables, aeroponic urban farm, cheaper, traditionally grown organic produce	TRUE	Paragraph 4, Line 24-25	"Produce grown this way typically sells at prices that, while generally higher than those of classic intensive agriculture, are lower than soil-based organic growers."
12	Most produce can be grown on an aeroponic urban farm at any time of the year.	produce, aeroponic urban farm, any time of the year	FALSE	Paragraph 4, Line 27-28	"There are limits to what farmers can grow this way, of course, and much of the produce is suited to the summer months."
13	Beans take longer to grow on an urban farm than other vegetables.	beans, take longer to grow, urban farm, other vegetables	NOT GIVEN	No information provided in the passage about the growth time of beans compared to other vegetables.

READING PASSAGE 2

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

Forest management in Pennsylvania, USA

How managing low-quality wood (also known as low-use wood) for bioenergy can encourage sustainable forest management

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
14	Bad outcomes for a forest when people focus only on its financial reward	bad outcomes, financial reward	B	Paragraph A (Lines 1-3)	Paragraph A discusses how focusing only on the financial value of trees can lead to poor forest management outcomes.
15	Reference to the aspects of any tree that contribute to its worth	aspects, tree's worth	A	Paragraph A (Lines 1-3)	Paragraph A mentions the various factors that contribute to a tree's value, such as species, size, condition, and quality.
16	Mention of the potential use of wood to help run vehicles	potential use, wood, run vehicles	C	Paragraph C (Lines 6-7)	Paragraph C explains that wood can be made into liquid fuels like ethanol and gasoline, which can be used to run vehicles.
17	Examples of insects that attack trees	insects, attack trees	E	Paragraph E (Lines 4-5)	Paragraph E lists specific insects such as the hemlock wooly adelgid and emerald ash borer that attack trees.
18	An alternative name for trees that produce low-use wood	alternative name, low-use wood	B	Paragraph E (Lines 2-3)	Paragraph E uses the term "low-use wood" to describe the trees that are left behind after high-grading.
19	To remove trees that are diseased	to remove trees that are diseased	B	Paragraph E (Lines 2-3)	A Salvage Cut is used to remove diseased trees and manage pest issues, as described in Paragraph E.
20	To generate income across a number of years	to generate income, number of years	C	Paragraph F (Lines 2-4)	A Shelterwood Cut allows income generation over multiple years by creating a two-tier forest, as explained in Paragraph F.
21	To create a forest whose trees are close in age	to create forest, trees close in age	C	Paragraph F (Lines 2-4)	A Shelterwood Cut helps establish a young forest where all trees are at a similar growth stage, as explained in Paragraph F.
22	Some dead wood is removed to avoid the possibility of ________	dead wood, removed, possibility	fire	Paragraph G (Lines 1-2)	Paragraph G mentions that thinnings and dead wood removal are done for fire prevention.
23	The ________ from the tops of cut trees can help improve soil quality	tops of cut trees, improve soil quality	nutrients	Paragraph G (Lines 3-4)	Paragraph G explains that leaving the tops of cut trees helps cycle nutrients back into the soil.
24	Some damaged trees should be left, as their ________ provide habitats for a range of creatures	damaged trees, provide habitats	cavities	Paragraph G (Lines 5-6)	Paragraph G states that trees with cavities are important for creating habitats for wildlife.
25	Some trees that are small, such as ________, are a source of food for animals and insects	small trees, source of food	hawthorn	Paragraph G (Line 7)	Paragraph G mentions hawthorn as an example of small trees that provide food for wildlife.
26	Any trees that are ________ should be left to grow, as they add to the variety of species in the forest	rare trees, add to variety of species	rare	Paragraph G (Lines 8-9)	Paragraph G highlights the importance of leaving rare species behind to add to the forest's structural diversity.

READING PASSAGE 3

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

Conquering Earth’s space junk problem

Satellites, rocket shards and collision debris are creating major traffic risks in orbit around the planet. Researchers are working to reduce these threats

Number of Question	Question	Keywords of the Question	Answer	Location with Line Number in the Paragraph	Explanation
27	Which section contains a reference to the cooperation that takes place to try and minimise risk?	cooperation, minimise risk	C	Section E (Lines 1-2)	"Even as our ability to monitor space objects increases, so too does the total number of items in orbit. That means companies, governments, and other players in space are collaborating in new ways to avoid a shared threat."
28	Which section contains an explanation of a person’s aims?	aims	F	Section E (Lines 9-11)	"Jah describes himself as a space environmentalist: ‘I want to make space a place that is safe to operate, that is free and useful for generations to come.’ Until that happens, he argues, the space community will continue devolving into a tragedy in which all spaceflight operators are polluting a common resource."
29	Which section contains a description of a major collision that occurred in space?	major collision in space	A	Section A (Lines 4-6)	"Ten years ago, a US commercial Iridium satellite smashed into an inactive Russian communications satellite called Cosmos-2251, creating thousands of new pieces of space shrapnel that now threaten other satellites in low Earth orbit – the zone stretching up to 2,000 kilometers in altitude."
30	Which section contains a comparison between tracking objects in space and the efficiency of a transportation system?	comparison between tracking objects in space and transportation system	E	Section E (Lines 4-6)	"The field is called space traffic management, because it’s similar to managing traffic on the roads or in the air. Think about a busy day at an airport, says Moriba Jah, an astrodynamicist at the University of Texas at Austin: planes line up in the sky, landing and taking off close to one another in a carefully choreographed routine."
31	Which section contains a reference to efforts to classify space junk?	efforts to classify space junk	B	Section B (Lines 5-7)	"Some researchers are now starting to compile a massive data set that includes the best possible information on where everything is in orbit. Others are developing taxonomies of space – working on measuring properties such as the shape and size of an object, so that satellite operators know how much to worry about what’s coming their way."
32	What does the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee give advice on?	sustainability of space	C	Section C (Line 1)	"The committee gives advice on how the sustainability of space can be achieved."
33	What does the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee advise about inactive satellites?	fuel, pressurised material	C	Section C (Lines 4-5)	"The committee advises that when satellites are no longer active, any unused fuel or pressurized material that could cause explosions should be removed."
34	What should be removed from inactive satellites to prevent explosions?	explosions	C	Section C (Line 5)	"The committee advises that when satellites are no longer active, any unused fuel or pressurized material that could cause explosions should be removed."
35	What happens to operators that fail or go bankrupt, according to Holger Krag?	bankrupt	C	Section C (Lines 6-7)	"Operators of the planned large constellations of satellites say they will be responsible stewards in their enterprises in space, but Krag worries that problems could increase, despite their best intentions. ‘What happens to those that fail or go bankrupt?’ he asks. They are probably not going to spend money to remove their satellites from space."
36	Who says that knowing the exact location of space junk would help prevent any possible danger?	Knowing the exact location of space junk	C	Section D (Line 2)	"In theory, given the vastness of space, satellite operators should have plenty of room for all these missions to fly safely without ever nearing another object. So some scientists are tackling the problem of space junk by trying to find out where all the debris is to a high degree of precision."
37	Who describes space as something that should be preserved for future generations?	Space should be available to everyone and should be preserved for the future	D	Section E (Lines 9-11)	"Jah describes himself as a space environmentalist: ‘I want to make space a place that is safe to operate, that is free and useful for generations to come."
38	Which section says that a recommendation regarding satellites is widely ignored?	recommendation regarding satellites	C	Section C (Lines 7-8)	"But so far, only about half of all missions have abided by this 25-year goal, says Holger Krag, head of the European Space Agency’s space-debris office in Darmstadt, Germany."
39	Which section mentions that there is conflicting information about where some satellites are in space?	conflicting information about satellites	F	Section F (Lines 9-12)	"When he types in an identifier for a particular space object, the database draws a purple line to designate its orbit. Only this doesn’t quite work for a number of objects, such as a Russian rocket body designated in the database as object number 32280. When Jah enters that number, the database draws two purple lines: the US and Russian sources contain two completely different orbits for the same object."
40	Who mentions that there is a risk we may not be able to undo the damage caused by space debris?	risk of undoing damage	A	Section B (Line 12)	"‘If we go on like this, we will reach a point of no return,’ says Carolin Frueh, an astrodynamical researcher at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana."