Beneath The Canopy Reading Answers

Dec 23, 2022

Beneath The Canopy Reading Answers contains 11 questions. The IELTS reading section needs to be attempted within a timeline of 20 minutes. Beneath The Canopy Reading Answers consists of three types of questions including- matching heading, matching statement and summary completion. Beneath The Canopy Reading Answers has been referenced from the book Cambridge IELTS 17 Reading Test 01. To solve IELTS Reading section, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords, understand the concept and answer based on the given instructions. Candidates should use no more than three words for their answers. Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question. Candidates can solve more such IELTS reading samples from IELTS reading practice tests.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Beneath The Canopy Reading Answers

The world's tropical rainforests comprise some 6% of the Earth's land area and contain more than half of all known life forms, or a conservative estimate of about 30 million species of plants and animals. Some experts estimate there could be two or even three times as many species hidden within these complex and fast- disappearing ecosystems, scientists will probably never know for certain, so vast is the amount of study required.
Time is running out for biological research. Commercial development is responsible for the loss of about 17 million hectares of virgin rainforest each year - a figure approximating 1% of what remains of the world's rainforests.
The current devastation of once impenetrable rainforest is of particular concern because, although new tree growth may in time repopulate felled areas, the biologically diverse storehouse of flora and fauna is gone forever. Losing this bountiful inheritance, which took millions of years to reach its present highly evolved state,would be an unparalleled act of human stupidity.
Chemical compounds that might be extracted from yet-to-be-discovered species hidden beneath the tree canopy could assist in the treatment of disease or help to control fertility. Conservationists point out that important medical discoveries have already been made from material found in tropical rainforests. The drug aspirin, now synthesized, was originally found in the bark of a rainforest tree. Two of the most potent anti- cancer drugs derive from the rosy periwinkle discovered in the 1950s in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar.
The rewards of discovery are potentially enormous, yet the outlook is bleak. Timber-rich countries mired in debt, view potential financial gain decades into the future as less attractive than short-term profit from logging. Cataloging species and analyzing newly-found substances takes time and money, both of which are in short supply.
The developed world takes every opportunity to lecture countries which are the guardians of rainforest . Rich nations exhort them to preserve and care for what is left, ignoring the fact that their wealth was in large part due to the exploitation of their own natural world.
It is often forgotten that forests once covered most of Europe. Large tracts of forest were destroyed over the centuries for the same reason that the remaining rainforests are now being felled - timber. As well as providing material for housing, it enabled wealthy nations to build large navies and shipping fleets with which to continue their plunder of the world's resources.
Besides, it is not clear that developing countries would necessarily benefit financially from extended bioprospecting of their rainforests. Pharmaceutical companies make huge profits from the sale of drugs with little return to the country in which an original discovery was made.
Also, cataloging tropical biodiversity involves much more than a search for medically useful and therefore commercially viable drugs. Painstaking biological fieldwork helps to build immense databases of genetic, chemical and behavioral information that will be of benefit only to those countries developed enough to use them.
Reckless logging itself is not the only danger to rainforests. Fires lit to clear land for further logging and for housing and agricultural development played havoc in the late 1990s in the forests of Borneo. Massive clouds of smoke from burning forest fires swept across the southernmost countries of South-East Asia choking cities and reminding even the most resolute advocates of rainforest clearing of the swiftness of nature's retribution.
Nor are the dangers entirely to the rainforests themselves. Until very recently, so-called "lost" tribes - indigenous peoples who have had no contact with the outside world - still existed deep within certain rainforests. It is now unlikely that there are any more truly lost tribes. Contact with the modern world inevitably brings with it exploitation, loss of traditional culture, and, in an alarming number of instances, complete obliteration.
Forest-dwellers who have managed to live in harmony with their environment have much to teach us of life beneath the tree canopy. If we do not listen, the impact will be on the entire human race. Loss of biodiversity, coupled with climate change and ecological destruction will have profound and lasting consequences.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 16-20:

Refer to Reading Passage "Beneath the Canopy" and answer the following questions. The left-hand column contains quotations taken directly from the reading passage. The right-hand column contains explanations of those quotations. Match each quotation with the correct explanation. Select from the choices A - F below and write your answers in boxes 16 - 20 on your Answer Sheet.

Quotation	Explanation
16.'biologically diverse storehouse of flora and fauna' (paragraph 3) 17. 'timber-rich countries mired in debt' (paragraph 5) 18. 'exploitation of their own natural world' (paragraph 6) 19. 'benefit financially from extended bioprospecting of their rainforests’ (paragraph 8) 20. 'loss of biodiversity' (paragraph 12)	A. with many trees but few financial resources B. purposely low and cautious reckoning C. large-scale use of plant and wildlife D. profit from an analysis of the plant and animal life E. wealth of plants and animals F. being less rich in natural wealth

Question 16

Answer: E. wealth of plants and animals
Supporting Sentence: Although new tree growth may in time repopulate felled areas, the biologically diverse storehouse of flora and fauna is gone forever.
Keywords: new tree growth, repopulate, felled areas, biologically diverse, storehouse, flora, fauna
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1
Explanation: Despite fresh vegetation eventually appearing in the places that had been cut, the great biodiversity of plants and animals is lost over time.

Question 17

Answer: A. with many trees but few financial resources
Supporting Sentence: Timber-rich countries mired in debt, view potential financial gain decades into the future as less attractive than short-term profit from logging.
Keywords: Timber-rich countries, debt, potential financial gain, future, short-term profit, logging
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 2
Explanation: In order to make significant profits in the near term, underdeveloped or emerging countries with abundant forest resources cut down trees.

Question 18

Answer: C. large-scale use of plant and wildlife
Supporting Sentence: Rich nations ignore the fact that their wealth was in large part due to the exploitation of their own natural world.
Keywords: Rich nations, wealth, exploitation, natural world.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, Line 2
Explanation: The idea that using their natural resources led to their growth is entirely disregarded by developed nations throughout the world.

Question 19

Answer: D. profit from an analysis of the plant and animal life
Supporting Sentence: It is not clear that developing countries would necessarily benefit financially from extended bioprospecting of their rainforests.
Keywords: developing countries, benefit, financially, bioprospecting, rainforests.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Line 1
Explanation: It is still difficult to comprehend how much money developing nations have generated by studying the diverse flora and fauna of their tropical rainforests.

Question 20

Answer: F. being less rich in natural wealth
Supporting Sentence: Loss of biodiversity will have a profound and lasting consequence.
Keywords: Loss, biodiversity, profound, lasting, consequence
Keyword Location: Paragraph 12, Line 3
Explanation: Long-term consequences of the loss of the abundant and diversified plant and animal life will be severe.

Questions 21-23:
Refer to Reading Passage 2, and look at Questions 21-23 below. Write your answers in boxes 21 - 23 on your Answer Sheet.

How many medical drug discoveries does the article mention?

Answer: 3
Supporting Sentence: The drug aspirin was originally found in the bark of a rainforest tree. Two of the most potent anti-cancer drugs derive from the rosy periwinkle discovered in the 1950s in the tropical rainforests of Madagascar.
Keywords: Drug, aspirin, bark, rainforest tree, potent, anti-cancer drugs, rosy periwinkle, 1950s, tropical rainforests, Madagascar
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 3-4
Explanation: On some tree bark in the rainforest, the aspirin medicine was initially discovered. The pink periwinkle plant, which was found for the first time in the Madagascar rainforests during the 1950s, is the source of the two most efficient cancer treatments now available.

What two shortages are given as the reason for the writer's pessimistic outlook?

Answer: time (and) money
Supporting Sentence: Cataloging species and analyzing newly-found substances takes time and money, both of which are in short supply.
Keywords: Cataloging, species, analyzing, newly-found substances, time, money, short supply
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 3
Explanation: Lack of resources, including time and money, inhibits the comprehensive categorization and study of a number of freshly found plants..

Who will most likely benefit from the bioprospecting of developing countries' rainforests?

Answer: pharmaceutical companies / developed nations
Supporting Sentence: Pharmaceutical companies make huge profits from the sale of drugs with little return to the country in which an original discovery was made; Biological fieldwork helps to build immense databases of genetic, chemical and behavioral information that will be of benefit only to those countries developed enough to use them.
Keywords: Pharmaceutical companies, huge profits, sale of drugs, return, original discovery, biological fieldwork, databases, genetic, behavioral, benefit, countries, developed
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Line 2; Paragraph 9, Line 2
Explanation: The different pharmaceutical corporations are more likely to earn from the sales of medications throughout the world than are underdeveloped countries, and the developed countries with better established technological infrastructure will gain significantly from cataloguing the biodiversity in their jungles.

Questions 24-26:
Refer to Reading Passage 15, and decide which of the answers best completes the sentences. Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your Answer Sheet.

The amount of rainforest destroyed annually is:

approximately 6% of the Earth's land area
such that it will only take 100 years to lose all the forests
increasing at an alarming rate
responsible for commercial development

Answer: c) increasing at an alarming rate
Supporting Sentence: Commercial development is responsible for the loss of about 17 million hectares of virgin rainforest each year - a figure approximating 1% of what remains of the world's rainforests.
Keywords: Commercial development, loss, 17 million hectares, virgin rainforests,
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, Line 2
Explanation: The commercial development occurring all over the world is the main cause of the annual loss of over 17 million hectares of rainforests.

In Borneo in the late 1990s:

burning forest fires caused air pollution problems as far away as Europe
reckless logging resulted from burning forest fires
fires were lit to play the game of havoc
none of the above

Answer: d) None of the above
Keywords: Borneo, late 1990s
Explanation: In order to clear more area for various uses, such as agriculture, logging, and housing, fires were started in the Borneo woods in the late 1990s.

Many so-called “lost” tribes of certain rainforests:

have been destroyed by contact with the modern world
do not know how to exploit the rainforest without causing harm to the environment
are still lost inside the rainforest
must listen or they will impact on the entire human race

Answer: a) have been destroyed by contact with the modern world
Supporting Sentence: Until very recently, so-called "lost" tribes still existed deep within certain rainforests. Contact with the modern world inevitably brings with it exploitation, loss of traditional culture and complete obliteration.
Keywords: lost tribes, existed, rainforests, contact, modern world, exploitation, loss of traditional culture, complete obliteration.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 11, Line 2
Explanation: The demise of various indigenous groups' traditional rituals and customs as a result of contact has occurred in the rainforests.

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