Spider Silk 2 Reading Answers

Dec 19, 2022

Spider Silk 2 Reading Answers contains a write up about spider silk and its beautifying features. Spider Silk 2 Reading Answers comprising 13 different types of questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions. Spider Silk 2 Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For Matching heading in IELTS Reading passage, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Spider Silk 2 Reading Answers

A strong, light bio-material made by genes from spiders could transform construction and industry

Scientists have succeeded in copying the silk-producing genes of the Golden Orb Weaver spider and are using them to create a synthetic material which they believe is the model for a new generation of advanced bio-materials. The new material, biosilk, which has been spun for the first time by researchers at DuPont, has an enormous range of potential uses in construction and manufacturing.
The attraction of the silk spun by the spider is a combination of great strength and enormous elasticity, which man-made fibres have been unable to replicate. On an equal-weight basis, spider silk is far stronger than steel and it is estimated that if a single strand could be made about 10m in diameter, it would be strong enough to stop a jumbo jet in flight. A third important factor is that it is extremely light. Army scientists are already looking at the possibilities of using it for lightweight, bulletproof vests and parachutes.
For some time, biochemists have been trying to synthesise the drag-line silk of the Golden Orb Weaver. The drag-line silk, which forms the radial arms of the web, is stronger than the other parts of the web and some biochemists believe a synthetic version could prove to be as important a material as nylon, which has been around for 50 years, since the discoveries of Wallace Carothers and his team ushered in the age of polymers.
To recreate the material, scientists, including Randolph Lewis at the University of Wyoming, first examined the silk-producing gland of the spider. ‘We took out the glands that produce the silk and looked at the coding for the protein material they make, which is spun into a web. We then went looking for clones with the right DNA,’ he says.
At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to grow the raw material, which they have spun into fibres. Robert Dorsch, DuPont’s director of biochemical development, says the globules of protein, comparable with marbles in an egg, are harvested and processed. ‘We break open the bacteria, separate out the globules of protein and use them as the raw starting material. With yeast, the gene system can be designed so that the material excretes the protein outside the yeast for better access,’ he says.
‘The bacteria and the yeast produce the same protein, equivalent to that which the spider uses in the draglines of the web. The spider mixes the protein into a water-based solution and then spins it into a solid fibre in one go. Since we are not as clever as the spider and we are not using such sophisticated organisms, we substituted man-made approaches and dissolved the protein in chemical solvents, which are then spun to push the material through small holes to form the solid fibre.’
Researchers at DuPont say they envisage many possible uses for a new biosilk material. They say that earthquake-resistant suspension bridges hung from cables of synthetic spider silk fibres may become a reality. Stronger ropes, safer seat belts, shoe soles that do not wear out so quickly and tough new clothing are among the other applications. Biochemists such as Lewis see the potential range of uses of biosilk as almost limitless. ‘It is very strong and retains elasticity: there are no man-made materials that can mimic both these properties. It is also a biological material with all the advantages that have over petrochemicals,’ he says.
At DuPont’s laboratories, Dorsch is excited by the prospect of new super-strong materials but he warns they are many years away. ‘We are at an early stage but theoretical predictions are that we will wind up with a very strong, tough material, with an ability to absorb shock, which is stronger and tougher than the man-made materials that are conventionally available to us,’ he says.
The spider is not the only creature that has aroused the interest of material scientists. They have also become envious of the natural adhesive secreted by the sea mussel. It produces a protein adhesive to attach itself to rocks. It is tedious and expensive to extract the protein from the mussel, so researchers have already produced a synthetic gene for use in surrogate bacteria.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5
Reading Passage has nine Paragraphs, A-I
Which Paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

a comparison of the ways two materials are used to replace silk-producing glands

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to grow the raw material, which they have spun into fibres.
Keyword: material, both
Keyword Location: Section E, 1st Line
Explanation: Yeast and bacteria are the two substances that are used to replace the silk-producing glands; researchers at DuPont used both of them similarly to develop the identical raw material that is collected from the silk-producing glands.

predictions regarding the availability of the synthetic silk

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: We are at an early stage but theoretical predictions are that we will wind up with a very strong, tough material, with an ability to absorb shock, which is stronger and tougher than the man-made materials that are conventionally available to us,’ he says.
Keyword: predictions, man-made, available
Keyword Location: Section H, 3rd, 5th & 6th Line
Explanation: Since synthetic silk research is still in its infancy, only speculations about its potential availability for its intended uses as a robust and durable material can be made.

ongoing research into other synthetic materials

Answer: I
Supporting Sentence: The spider is not the only creature that has aroused the interest of material scientists. They have also become envious of the natural adhesive secreted by the sea mussel.
Keyword: interest, scientists
Keyword Location: Section I, 1st and 2nd Line.
Explanation: In addition to researching synthetic silk, scientists are also working to develop a synthetic fiber using the natural glue secreted by sea mussels.

the research into the part of the spider that manufactures silk

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: To recreate the material, scientists, including Randolph Lewis at the University of Wyoming, first examined the silk-producing gland of the spider.
Keyword: silk-producing, examined
Keyword Location: Section D, 2nd Line
Explanation: Researchers from the University of Wyoming examined and studied the spiders' silk-producing glands in an effort to replicate the spider's natural silk.

the possible application of silk in civil engineering

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: They say that earthquake-resistant suspension bridges hung from cables of synthetic spider silk fibres may become a reality.
Keyword: silk, reality
Keyword Location: Section G, 3rd Line
Explanation: Suspension bridges are constructed using civil engineering techniques, and due to the shear tensile strength of synthetic silk cables, scientists think that they might be suspended from them. Silk may therefore be used in civil engineering.

Questions 6-10
Complete the flowchart
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 6-10 on your answer sheet.

Synthetic gene grown in 6 ……………… or 7………………….

↓

globules of 8 ……………….

↓

dissolved in 9 ……………….

↓

passed through 10 …………………

↓

to produce a solid fibre

Answer: yeast
Supporting Sentence: At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to grow the raw material, which they have spun into fibres.
Keyword: yeast, grow
Keyword Location: Section E, 1st and 2nd Line
Explanation: Because yeast may serve as a host, scientists have employed it to develop the synthetic silk gene.

Answer: Bacteria
Supporting Sentence: At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to grow the raw material, which they have spun into fibres.
Keyword: bacteria, grow
Keyword Location: Section E, 1st and 2nd Line
Explanation: To grow artificial silk, bacteria are utilized. Here, the researchers are making use of that to allow the bacteria to serve as hosts.

Answer: Protein
Supporting Sentence: Robert Dorsch, DuPont’s director of biochemical development, says the globules of protein, comparable with marbles in an egg, are harvested and processed.
Keyword: globules, protein
Keyword Location: Section E, 3rd Line.
Explanation: Protein globules are gathered and processed to create artificial silk because they resemble the marble-like components of an egg.

Answer: Chemical solvents
Supporting Sentence: Since we are not as clever as the spider and we are not using such sophisticated organisms, we substituted man-made approaches and dissolved the protein in chemical solvents, which are then spun to push the material through small holes to form the solid fibre.’
Keyword: dissolved, chemical solvents
Keyword Location: Section F, 6th Line.
Explanation: Although protein needs to be dissolved, actual spiders are not used in the creation of synthetic silk. As a result, scientists have chosen a man-made strategy in which protein globules are dissolved in chemical solvents.

10.

Answer: Holes
Supporting Sentence: Since we are not as clever as the spider and we are not using such sophisticated organisms, we substituted man-made approaches and dissolved the protein in chemical solvents, which are then spun to push the material through small holes to form the solid fibre.’
Keyword: holes, through
Keyword Location: Section F, 7th Line.
Explanation: The silk-producing protein is dissolved until it has a liquid consistency, and then it is forced or passed through tiny holes to take on the structure of a solid fiber thread.

Questions 11-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 11-13 in your answer sheet, write

TRUE, if the statement agrees with the information provided
FALSE, if the information provided is contradictory to statement
NOT GIVEN, if there is no information to corroborate with the statement

Biosilk has already replaced nylon in parachute manufacture.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Army scientists are already looking at the possibilities of using it for lightweight, bulletproof vests and parachutes.
Keyword: Parachutes, possibilities
Keyword Location: Section B, 7th & 8th Line.
Explanation: It is explicitly stated in the section that the Army is investigating the potential for employing Biosilk in the fabrication of parachutes among other things, indicating that the manufacturer hasn't started yet, which leads to the obvious conclusion that nylon has not yet been replaced by Biosilk.

The spider produces silk of varying strengths.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: The drag-line silk, which forms the radial arms of the web, is stronger than the other parts of the web and some biochemists believe a synthetic version could prove to be as important material as nylon, which has been around for 50 years since the discoveries of Wallace Carothers and his team ushered in the age of polymers.
Keyword: silk, stronger
Keyword Location: Section C, 2nd & 3rd Line.
Explanation: Because the radial arms of the web are stronger than other areas of the web, demonstrating variety in their strengths, dragline silk explains why a spider makes silk of different strength.