The Council’s Town-Centre IELTS Reading Answers

Aug 14, 2023

The Council’s Town-Centre IELTS Reading Answers is a topic of the IELTS academic reading topic which includes 14 questions. The specified IELTS topic generates 2 types of questions: fill in the blanks and choose the correct paragraph type of questions. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. Candidates can further enhance their reading skills by going through IELTS reading practice papers available on the website. Candidates can use IELTS reading topics like The Council’s Town-Centre IELTS Reading Answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

Check: Get 10 Free IELTS Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for FreeTrial Class Now

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

A. On a summer's day, apart from the intermittent drizzle and lowering sky, South Street in Romford looks as close to an Englishman's dream of a continental-style piazza as it is possible to get. Leafy trees line the extended pavements crowded with seats and tables as young families, pensioners, teenagers and businessmen tuck into a variety of faux-European dishes for lunch. Local cafes serve the full range of meaningless variations on the theme of coffee, from cappuccino through mochaccino to doppos, all at top prices. Round the corner, in the Market Place, it is French week. There are several stalls, complete with real Frenchmen, selling claret and cheeses.

B. The cafes are open during the day, and the clubs stay open until two or three in the morning most nights. In this respect, Romford is typical of contemporary Britain. In the late 1980s, the centers of many towns and cities went into decline as retailers, and particularly supermarkets, moved to new big, out-of-town shopping centers.

So in the early 1990s, many local councils, in league with local businesses, re-developed their increasingly desolate town centers into "leisure zones". They looked to continental Europe for the inspiration to create modern 24-hour environments, mixing cafes, bars and clubs to keep people in the centers spending money for as long as possible.

C. By night however, South Street turns into a very different place. The street becomes a mass of 1826-year-olds, drinking as much as they can. For anyone else, the place becomes almost a no-go area. Gillian Balfe, the council's town-center manager and a strong supporter of the "leisuring" of South Street, concedes that the crowds become uncontrollable, and the atmosphere quickly turns "hostile and threatening". Buses are now barred from going down South Street after 9.30pm: there are too many drunken people milling about.

D. In a survey for the local council done last year, 49% of the residents of the surrounding areas of South Street confessed that they did not want to come to the city center any more for fear of crime. The local police concede that they are virtually overwhelmed. Violence is commonplace. There has only been one consequent fatality in the area in the past couple of years, but the police say that this is mainly thanks to the merciful proximity of the local hospital. Romford's dilemma is typical of what has happened in the other "leisure zones" in towns and cities throughout the country.

What were meant to be civilized places for entertainment and shopping have too often turned into alcoholic ghettos for the young.

E. For all the problems, however, Romford's local authority thinks that the idea of a 24-hour city is already too profitable to be stopped. Local authorities think that new repressive legislation, or even a decision not to reform the licensing laws, would be unworkable. So instead of trying to pack everyone back off to bed, Romford is trying to reclaim the town center for a broader mix of people, and so to fulfill the original ambitions of the 24-hour-city dreamers.

F. The first part of the strategy involves security. The police accept that, with their current resources, they will never be able to make South Street safe on their own. So they now work closely with the 528 "door-staff ", previously known as bouncers, to target drug-dealers in the bars and clubs. In the year since that scheme came into effect, there have been more than 300 arrests for drugs. In the six months before that, there had been only one. All the premises now have a radio link to the police station for an instant response to trouble.

G. The second part of the strategy involves trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night. New attractions are opening next year to rival the pubs. On the site of the old Romford brewery there will be a 16-screen cinema and a 24-hour supermarket. A new health and leisure center, open on some nights until 9pm, starts up soon. The hope is that these facilities will draw in a different, more sober and ethnically diverse crowd. The police have bravely encouraged one club to start a gay night on Wednesdays.

H. Together with other measures such as better street lighting, Romford hopes that it can show that the phrase "24-hour city" can be more than a euphemism for an all-night drinkathon. As the new licensing laws delegate the job of granting alcohol licenses to local councils, cities across England will be trying to reclaim the night.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-18

Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

Question 14: why some local people stay out of the center at night

Answer: D
Supporting statement: “...In a survey for the local council done last year, 49% of the residents of the surrounding areas of South Street confessed that they did not want to come to the city center…”
Keywords: survey, local council, last year, 49%, residents, surrounding areas, South Street, confessed, city center
Keyword Location: para D, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, in a survey for the local council done last year, 49% of the residents of the surrounding areas of South Street confessed that they did not want to come to the city center any more for fear of crime. The local police concede that they are virtually overwhelmed.

Question 15: how communication with the police has been made faster

Answer: F
Supporting statement: “...The first part of the strategy involves security. The police accept that, with their current resources, they will never be able to make South Street safe on their own…”
Keywords: strategy, security, police, current, resources, South Street, safe
Keyword Location: para F, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the first part of the strategy involves security. The police accept that, with their current resources, they will never be able to make South Street safe on their own. So they now work closely with the 528 "door-staff ", previously known as bouncers, to target drug-dealers in the bars and clubs. All the premises now have a radio link to the police station for an instant response to trouble.

Question 16: reasons behind the growth inner city leisure venues

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “...So in the early 1990s, many local councils, in league with local businesses, re-developed their increasingly desolate town centers into "leisure zones"…”
Keywords: 1990s, local councils, league, local businesses, re-developed, increasingly, desolate, town, centers, leisure zones
Keyword Location: para B, line 4
Explanation: According to the writer, in the late 1980s, the centers of many towns and cities went into decline as retailers, and particularly supermarkets, moved to new big, out-of-town shopping centers. So in the early 1990s, many local councils, in league with local businesses, re-developed their increasingly desolate town centers into "leisure zones". They looked to continental Europe for the inspiration to create modern 24-hour environments, mixing cafes, bars and clubs to keep people in the centers spending money for as long as possible.

Question 17: examples of Romford's similarity to mainland Europe

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “...Leafy trees line the extended pavements crowded with seats and tables as young families, pensioners, teenagers and businessmen tuck into a variety of faux-European dishes for lunch…”
Keywords: Leafy trees, extended, pavements, crowded, seats, tables, young families, pensioners, teenagers, businessmen, tuck, faux-European, dishes, lunch
Keyword Location: para A, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, South Street in Romford looks as close to an Englishman's dream of a continental-style piazza as it is possible to get. Leafy trees line the extended pavements crowded with seats and tables as young families, pensioners, teenagers and businessmen tuck into a variety of faux-European dishes for lunch.

Question 18: how illegal substances are being controlled

Answer: F
Supporting statement: “...So they now work closely with the 528 "door-staff ", previously known as bouncers, to target drug-dealers in the bars and clubs…”
Keywords: 528 "door-staff ", bouncers, target, drug-dealers, bars, clubs
Keyword Location: para F, line 3
Explanation: According to the writer, police worked closely with the 528 "door-staff ", previously known as bouncers, to target drug-dealers in the bars and clubs. In the year since that scheme came into effect, there have been more than 300 arrests for drugs. In the six months before that, there had been only one.

Questions 19-26

Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.

In an attempt to get a wider variety of 19. ….. into the 20.................. at night time, the local government and private organizations are going to provide different kinds of 21................. Some examples include a 22...... and a 24-hour Supermarket. They hope this will encourage people who are different 23. ….., and not drunk, to use the city-center 24. …… . The local government of Romford thinks that with these 25. ....... in place it will be able to 26. ….. the city center in the evenings.

Question 19:

Answer: people
Supporting statement: “...trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night. …”
Keywords: encourage, more, different, people, use, town center, night
Keyword Location: para G, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the second part of the strategy involves trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night.

Question 20:

Answer: center
Supporting statement: “...trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night. …”
Keywords: encourage, more, different, people, use, town center, night
Keyword Location: para G, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the second part of the strategy involves trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night.

Question 21:

Answer: attractions
Supporting statement: “...New attractions are opening next year to rival the pubs…”
Keywords: New, attractions, opening, next year, rival, pubs
Keyword Location: para G, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, in an attempt to get a variety of people to use the town center at night, new attractions are opening next year to rival the pubs.

Question 22:

Answer: cinema
Supporting statement: “...On the site of the old Romford brewery there will be a 16-screen cinema and a 24-hour supermarket…”
Keywords: old, Romford, brewery, 16-screen cinema, 24-hour supermarket
Keyword Location: para G, line 3
Explanation: According to the writer, on the site of the old Romford brewery there will be a 16-screen cinema and a 24-hour supermarket. A new health and leisure center, open on some nights until 9pm, starts up soon.

Question 23:

Answer: ethnically
Supporting statement: “...The hope is that these facilities will draw in a different, more sober and ethnically diverse crowd…”
Keywords: hope, facilities, draw, more sober, ethnically, diverse, crowd
Keyword Location: para G, line 5
Explanation: According to the writer, there is a hope that the given facilities will draw in a different, more sober and ethnically diverse crowd. The police have bravely encouraged one club to start a gay night on Wednesdays.

Question 24:

Answer: facilities
Supporting statement: “...the second part of the strategy involves trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night…”
Keywords: second, strategy, encourage, different, kinds of people, use, town center, night
Keyword Location: para G, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, the second part of the strategy involves trying to encourage more, and different kinds of people to use the town center at night. To start this various facilities were provided such as new attractions opening next year to rival the pubs. On the site of the old Romford brewery there will be a 16-screen cinema and a 24-hour supermarket. A new health and leisure center, open on some nights until 9pm, starts up soon. The police have bravely encouraged one club to start a gay night on Wednesdays.

Question 25:

Answer: measure
Supporting statement: “...Together with other measures such as better street lighting, Romford hopes that it can show that the phrase "24-hour city" can be more than a euphemism for an all-night drinkathon…”
Keywords: measures, better, street lighting, Romford, phrase, 24-hour city, euphemism, all-night, drinkathon
Keyword Location: para H, line 1
Explanation: According to the writer, together with measures such as better street lighting, Romford hopes that it can show that the phrase "24-hour city" can be more than a euphemism for an all-night drinkathon.

Question 26:

Answer: reclaim
Supporting statement: “...the job of granting alcohol licenses to local councils, cities across England will be trying to reclaim the night…”
Keywords: job, granting, alcohol, licenses, local councils, cities, England, reclaim, night
Keyword Location: para H, line 2
Explanation: According to the writer, as the new licensing laws delegate the job of granting alcohol licenses to local councils, cities across England will be trying to reclaim the night.

Read more IELTS Reading Samples