Global Warming- IELTS Reading Sample with Explanation

The IELTS Reading section tests the candidate’s ability to understand a passage and answer different types of questions related to it. There are a total of three IELTS reading passages and a total of 40 questions. This topic -Global Warming is an IELTS General topic. Candidates need to answer the following IELTS reading question types:

• True/False/Not Given
• Answer in one word only

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Global Warming IELTS Reading Sample​

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Section 2

Solution With Explanation

Question 27

From the list below choose the most suitable title for the whole of the Reading Passage. Write the appropriate letter A-D in box 27 on your answer sheet.

1. Pollution control in coal mining
2. The greenhouse effect
3. The coal industry and the environment
4. Sustainable population growth.

Answer: C The coal industry and the environment

Supporting Statement: Coal is expected to continue to account for almost 27 percent of the world’s energy needs. However, with growing international awareness of pressures on the environment and the need to achieve sustainable development of energy resources, the way in which the resource is extracted, transported, and used is critical.

Keywords: Coal, environment, 27 percent, world’s energy, international awareness, environment, sustainable development

Keyword location: passage A

Explanation: The entire passages from A-D discuss the topic coal industry and the environment. It is evident from the very first passage itself

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Questions 28-31

The Reading Passage has four sections A-D. Choose the most suitable heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers i-viii in boxes 28-31 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

1. Global warming
2. The dangers of the coal industry
3. Superclean coal
4. Environment protection measures
5. Coal as an energy source
6. Coal and the enhanced greenhouse effect
7. Research and development
8. Mining site drainage

Table

28. Section A
29. Section B
30. Section C
31. Section D

28. Answer: V. Coal as an energy source

Supporting Statement: Coal is expected to continue to account for almost 27 percent of the world’s energy needs.

Keywords: Coal, energy, 27 percent, world’s energy

Keyword location: passage A

Explanation: Nearly 27 percent of global energy demand is expected to be met by coal.

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29. Answer: vi. Coal and the enhanced greenhouse effect

Supporting Statement: The coal industry has been targeted by its critics as a significant contributor to the greenhouse effect.

Keywords: coal industry, target, critics, greenhouse effect,

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: A significant source of greenhouse gas emissions is attributed to the coal industry by critics.

30. Answer: vii. Research and development

Supporting Statement: The worldwide coal industry allocates extensive resources to researching and developing new technologies and ways of capturing greenhouse gases.

Keywords: worldwide coal industry, resources to researching and developing new technologies

Keyword location: passage C

Explanation: The coal industry invests heavily in researching and developing new technologies to capture greenhouse gases.

31. Answer: iv. Environment protection measures

Supporting Statement: Defendants of mining point out that, environmentally, coal mining has two important factors in its favor. It makes only temporary use of the land and produces no toxic chemical wastes. By carefully pre-planning projects, implementing pollution control measures, monitoring the effects of mining, and rehabilitating mined areas, the coal industry minimizes the impact on the neighboring community, the immediate environment, and long-term land capability.

Keywords: temporary use of the land, produces no toxic chemical wastes, pollution control measures, immediate environment

Keyword location: passage D

Explanation: Mining defenders point out that coal mining has two major environmental benefits. Besides causing no toxic chemical waste, it uses only a temporary amount of land. During the planning of coal projects, implementation of pollution control measures, monitoring of the effects of mining, and rehabilitation of mined areas, the coal industry minimizes the impact on the neighborhood, the immediate environment, and the ability to mine long-term.

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Questions 32-36.

Choose the appropriate letters A-D and write them in boxes 32-36 on your answer sheet.

32. The global increase in greenhouse gases has been attributed to

1. industrial pollution in developing countries.
2. coal mining and electricity generation.
3. reduced rainfall in many parts of the world.
4. trends in population and lifestyle.

Answer: D. trends in population and lifestyle

Supporting Statement: Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely related to the compound effects of increased population, improved living standards, and changes in lifestyle.

Keywords: Greenhouse gases, increased population, changes in lifestyle

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: Greenhouse gases are produced by various sources and their concentration is increasing due to a combination of increasing populations, improved living standards, and lifestyle changes.

33. The proportion of all greenhouse gases created by coal is approximately

1. 14 percent.
2. 18 percent.
3. 27 percent.
4. 90 percent.

Answer: B. 18 percent

Supporting Statement: Coal’s total contribution to greenhouse gas emissions is thought to be about 18 percent, with about half of this coming from electricity generation.

Keywords: greenhouse gas emissions, 18 percent, electricity generation

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: According to estimates, coal contributes 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, of which about half comes from electricity generation.

34. Current research aims to increase the energy-producing efficiency of coal by

1. burning it at a lower temperature.
2. developing new gasification techniques.
3. extracting CO2 from it.
4. recycling greenhouse gases

Answer: B. developing new gasification techniques

Supporting Statement: The worldwide coal industry allocates extensive resources to researching and developing new technologies and ways of capturing greenhouse gases.

Keywords: researching, developing new technologies, ways of capturing greenhouse gases

Keyword location: passage C

Explanation: The coal industry globally invests extensively in researching and developing new technologies to capture greenhouse gases.

35. Compared with ordinary coal, new, ‘clean’ coals may generate power

1. more cleanly and more efficiently.
2. more cleanly but less efficiently.
3. more cleanly but at a higher cost.
4. more cleanly but much more slowly.

Answer: A. more cleanly and more efficiently

Supporting Statement: Clean coal is another avenue for improving fuel conversion efficiency.

Keywords: Clean coal, fuel conversion efficiency

Keyword location: passage C

Explanation: Clean coal can also be used to improve fuel conversion efficiency.

36. To control dust at mine sites, mining companies often use

1. chemicals that may be toxic.
2. topsoil is taken from the site before mining.
3. fresh water from nearby dams.
4. runoff water containing sediments.

Answer: D. runoff water containing sediments

Supporting Statement: Dust levels are controlled by spraying roads and stockpiles, and water pollution is controlled by carefully separating clean water runoff from runoff that contains sediments or salt from the mine workings.

Keywords: Dust, clean water runoff, sediments or salt

Keyword location: passage D

Explanation: Dust levels are controlled by spraying roads and stockpiles, and water pollution is controlled by separating clean water runoff from runoff that is contaminated with sediments or salt.

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Questions 37-40

Do the following statements reflect the opinions of the writer in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 37—40 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement reflects the opinion of the writer
NO, if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

37. The coal industry should be abandoned in favor of alternative energy sources because of the environmental damage it causes.

Answer: NO

Supporting Statement: The coal industry has been targeted by its critics as a significant contributor to the greenhouse effect. However, the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon involving the increase in global surface temperature due to the presence of greenhouse gases – water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide – in the atmosphere.

Keywords: coal industry, greenhouse effect, natural phenomenon, water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: Critics claim the coal industry contributes significantly to the greenhouse effect. Although the greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon, it is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, water vapor, tropospheric ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide - in the atmosphere.

38. The greatest threats to the environment are the gases produced by industries that support the high standard of living of a growing world population.

Answer: YES

Supporting Statement: Greenhouse gases arise from a wide range of sources and their increasing concentration is largely related to the compound effects of increased population, improved living standards, and changes in lifestyle.

Keywords: Greenhouse gases, population, changes in lifestyle

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: As a result of increased population, improved living standards, and changes in lifestyle, greenhouse gases come from a variety of sources and their concentration is increasing.

39. World population in the twenty-first century will probably exceed 8 billion.

Answer: YES

Supporting Statement: From a current base of 5 billion, the United Nations predicts that the global population may stabilize in the twenty-first century between 8 and 14 billion, with more than 90 percent of the projected increase taking place in the world’s developing nations.

Keywords: 8 and 14 billion, United Nations predicts, the global population

Keyword location: passage B

Explanation: Taking the current world population of 5 billion as a starting point, the United Nations predicts that the world population could stabilize between 8 and 14 billion by the end of the twenty-first century, with almost 90 percent of the projected increase originating in the world's developing countries.

40. CFC emissions have been substantially reduced in recent years.

Answer: NOT GIVEN