Putting The Brakes on Climate Change: Are Hydrogen Cars the Answer? Reading Answers
Putting The Brakes on Climate Change: Are Hydrogen Cars the Answer? Reading Answers have 14 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Putting The Brakes on Climate Change: Are Hydrogen Cars the Answer? Reading Answers comprises question types, namely- choosing the correct heading, True/ False/ Not given and no more than two words. For True/ False/ Not given, candidates must read the passage and understand the statement provided. In choose the correct option, candidates are required to answer based on a given cue. They are required to choose correct heading from multiple options. Candidates must read the IELTS reading passage, identify keywords, and recognize synonyms to answer the question.
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Putting The Brakes on Climate Change: Are Hydrogen Cars the Answer? Reading Answers
- It is tempting to think that the conservation of coral reefs and rainforests is a separate issue from traffic and air pollution. But it is not. Scientists are now confident that rapid changes in the Earth’s climate are already disrupting and altering many wildlife habitats. Pollution from vehicles is a big part of the problem.
- The United Nation’s Climate Change Panel has estimated that the global average temperature rise expected by the year 2100 could be as much as 6°C, causing forest fires and dieback on land and coral bleaching in the ocean. Few species, if any, will be immune from the changes in temperature, rainfall and sea levels. The panel believes that if such catastrophic temperature rises are to be avoided, the quantity of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, being released into the atmosphere must be reduced. That will depend on slowing the rate of deforestation and, more crucially, finding alternatives to coal, oil and gas as our principal energy sources.
- Technologies do exist to reduce or eliminate carbon dioxide as a waste product of our energy consumption. Wind power and solar power are both spreading fast, but what are we doing about traffic? Electric cars are one possible option, but their range and the time it takes to charge their batteries pose serious limitations. However, the technology that shows the most potential to make cars climate-friendly is fuel-cell technology. This was actually invented in the late nineteenth century, but because the world’s motor industry put its effort into developing the combustion engine, it was never refined for mass production. One of the first prototype fuel-cell-powered vehicles have been built by the Ford Motor Company. It is like a conventional car, only with better acceleration and a smoother ride. Ford engineers expect to be able to produce a virtually silent vehicle in the future.
- So what’s the process involved – and is there a catch? Hydrogen goes into the fuel tank, producing electricity. The only emission from the exhaust pipe is water. The fuel-cell is, in some ways similar to a battery, but unlike a battery, it does not run down. As long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to the cell, it will keep on generating electricity. Some cells work off methane and a few use liquid fuels such as methanol, but fuel-ceils using hydrogen probably have the most potential. Furthermore, they need not be limited to transport. Fuel-cells can be made in a huge range of size, small enough for portable computers or large enough for power stations. They have no moving parts and therefore need no oil. They just need a supply of hydrogen. The big question, then, is where to get it from.
- One source of hydrogen is water. But to exploit the abundant resource, electricity is needed, and if the electricity is produced by a coal-fired power station or other fossil fuel, then the overall carbon reduction benefit of the fuel-cell disappears. Renewable sources, such as wind and solar power, do not produce enough energy for it to be economically viable to use them in the ‘manufacture’ of hydrogen as a transport fuel. Another source of hydrogen is, however, available and could provide a supply pending the development of more efficient and cheaper renewable energy technologies. By splitting natural gas (methane) into its constituent parts, hydrogen and carbon dioxide are produced. One way round the problem of what to do with the carbon dioxide could be to store it back below ground – so-called geological sequestration. Oil companies, such as Norway’s Statoil, are experimenting with storing carbon dioxide below ground in oil and gas wells.
- With freak weather conditions, arguably caused by global warming, frequently in the headlines, the urgent need to get fuel-cell vehicles will be available in most showrooms. Even now, fuel-cell buses are operating in the US, while in Germany a courier company is planning to take delivery of fuel-cell-powered vans in the near future. The fact that centrally-run fleets of buses and vans are the first fuel-cell vehicles identifies another challenge – fuel distribution. The refueling facilities necessary to top up hydrogen-powered vehicles are available only in a very few places at present. Public transport and delivery firms are logical places to start since their vehicles are operated from central depots.
- Fuel-cell technology is being developed right across the automotive industry. This technology could have a major impact in slowing down climate change, but further investment is needed if the industry – and the world’s wildlife – is to have a long-term future.
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Section 2
Solution with Explanation
Questions 1-6:
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
List of Headings
- Action already taken by the United Nations
- Marketing the hydrogen car
- Making the new technology available worldwide
- Some negative predictions from one group of experts
- How the new vehicle technology works
- The history of fuel-cell technology
- A holistic view of climatic change
- Locating the essential ingredient
- Sustaining car manufacture
- Paragraph A
Answer: A holistic view of climatic change
Supporting Statement: It is tempting to think that the conservation of coral reefs and rainforests is a separate issue from traffic and air pollution.
Keywords: tempting, Separate issue
Keywords Location: Paragraph A, first line
Explanation: Conservation of coral reefs and rainforests are not the only solution to climate change. In fact, the earth must be viewed as a whole. All sorts of traffic and air pollution must be taken into consideration to consider the effects of climate change.
- Paragraph B
Answer: Some negative predictions from one group of experts
Supporting Statement: The United Nation’s Climate Change Panel has estimated that the global average temperature rise expected by the year 2100 could be as much as 6°C, causing forest fires and dieback on land and coral bleaching in the ocean.
Keywords: estimated, temperature rise expected
Keywords Location: Paragraph B, first line
Explanation: The global climate change will lead to an average rise in temperature by 6°C by the year 2100. This will cause sea-level change, forest fire, dieback of lands, and coral bleaching in the oceans, as predicted by the United Nation’s Climate Change Panel.
- Paragraph C
Answer: The history of fuel-cell technology
Supporting Statement: One of the first prototype fuel-cell-powered vehicles have been built by the Ford Motor Company. Ford engineers expect to be able to produce a virtually silent vehicle in the future.
Keywords: first prototype, expect to produce
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, line 5, last line
Explanation: The advancement of technology and the need to shift from fuel engine vehicles to electric vehicles has changed a lot. Companies have put their efforts into producing a silent electric car.
- Paragraph D
Answer: How the new vehicle technology works
Supporting Statement: As long as hydrogen and oxygen are supplied to the cell, it will keep on generating electricity.
Keywords: Hydrogen, Water
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 2, line 3
Explanation: Electric vehicles produce electricity with the supply of hydrogen. The fuel cell stores the electricity and supply to the car engine, only leaving water from the exhaust pipe.
- Paragraph E
Answer: Locating the essential ingredient
Supporting Statement: Another source of hydrogen is, however, available and could provide a supply pending the development of more efficient and cheaper renewable energy technologies..
Keywords: Source, Hydrogen
Keywords Location: Paragraph E, line 4,
Explanation: Hydrogen is needed for producing electricity for electric vehicles. One of the effective and cheapest ways to extract hydrogen is to split natural gas methane, which produces methane and carbon dioxide.
- Paragraph F
Answer: Making the new technology available worldwide
Supporting Statement: Even now, fuel-cell buses are operating in the US, while in Germany a courier company is planning to take delivery of fuel-cell-powered vans in the near future.
Keywords: available in showrooms
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, line 1,
Explanation: To curb the effects of pollution and global climate change, the need of the hour is mass production of fuel-cell vehicles. It should be made available in showrooms worldwide.
Questions 7-10:
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.
Question 7. In the late nineteenth century, the car industry invested in the development of the combustion engine, rather than fuel-cell technology.
Answer: combustion engine
Supporting Statement: This was actually invented in the late nineteenth century, but because the world’s motor industry put its effort into developing the combustion engine, it was never refined for mass production.
Keywords: combustion engine
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, line 4,
Explanation: The late nineteenth century is yet to meet the demand for electric vehicles. Thus, the car manufacturing companies are mostly focused on the production of combustion engine cars.
Question 8. Ford engineers predict that they will eventually design an almost silent car.
Answer: Silent Car
Supporting Statement: Ford engineers expect to be able to produce a virtually silent vehicle in the future.
Keywords: Silent vehicle, future
Keywords Location: Paragraph C, last line
Explanation: Ford was one of the first companies to realize the importance of fuel-cell vehicles. They predict to produce almost silent cars in near future.
Question 9. While a fuel-cell lasts longer, some aspects of it are comparable to a battery
Answer: Battery
Supporting Statement: The fuel-cell is, in some ways similar to a battery, but unlike a battery, it does not run down.
Keywords: Battery, Similar
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 3
Explanation: The fuel cell operates in a similar way as a battery. With the passage of Hydrogen in the fuel tank, the electricity is produced and stored similar to a battery.
Question 10. Fuel-cells can come in many sizes and can be used in power stations and in portable computers as well as in vehicles.
Answer: portable computers
Supporting Statement: Fuel-cells can be made in a huge range of size, small enough for portable computers or large enough for power stations.
Keywords: portable computers
Keywords Location: Paragraph D, line 6
Explanation: The size of fuel cells varies. They can be as big as a power station and can be as small as portable computers.
Questions 11-14:
Do the following statements agree, with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Question 11: Using electricity produced by burning fossil fuels to access sources of hydrogen may increase the positive effect of the fuel-cell.
Answer: False
Supporting Statement: If the electricity is produced by a coal-fired power station or other fossil fuel, then the overall carbon reduction benefit of the fuel-cell disappears.
Keywords: carbon reduction benefit, disappear
Keywords Location: Paragraph E, line 2
Explanation: Efforts were made to curb the effects of pollution, diminish the emission rate of carbon dioxide, and minimize the effects of global climate change. Thus, a shift in technology is noticed from combustion engines to fuel-cell electric vehicles. But to meet the required hydrogen demand, if the electricity is produced by burning fossil fuel, the primary cause will become invalid.
Question 12: The oil company Statoil in Norway owns gas wells in other parts of the world.
Answer: Not given
Supporting Statement: Oil companies, such as Norway’s Statoil, are experimenting with storing carbon dioxide below ground in oil and gas wells.
Keywords: Statoil, carbon dioxide
Keywords Location: Paragraph E, last line
Explanation: The passage says that the oil company is experimenting. However, it is nowhere mentioned in the passage that they own gas wells in other parts of the world.
Question 13: Public transport is leading the way in the application of fuel-cell technology.
Answer: True
Supporting Statement: The fact that centrally-run fleets of buses and vans are the first fuel-cell vehicles.
Keywords: Centrally run Buses
Keywords Location: Paragraph F, line 3
Explanation: Public transport vehicles are the first to accept and start the fuel-cell technology. They run from central depots and refueling facilities are only available in limited supplies only in selected depots.
Question 14: More funding is necessary to ensure the success of the fuel-cell vehicle industry.
Answer: True
Supporting Statement: Fuel-cell technology could have a major impact in slowing down climate change, but further investment is needed if the industry – and the world’s wildlife – is to have a long-term future.
Keywords: investment
Keywords Location: Paragraph G, last line
Explanation: As this is a new technology, more investment is necessary to make new innovations. Side by side, refueling stores are needed to be set up to make the electric vehicle industry effective in the long run.
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