Looking In The Telescope, Preparing For The Threat – IELTS Reading Answers

A is not correct because the text says that children were fooling around and that “Hans Lippershey, the Dutch lensmaker… credits children as having been his motivation for the invention of the first telescope”. This is an indirect way of saying that Hans invented the telescope. Paragraph 2 also states that Galileo “improved on Lippershey’s telescope”.

B & C are wrong because the telescope Galileo designed was a refracting telescope. D is wrong because Galileo’s telescope allowed people to see 30 times further.

A is wrong because Galileo’s telescope did not use mirrors, that came later. B. is obviously the wrong D is wrong because although he used better quality lenses, the other half of the reason was because of the positioning of the lenses.

A is wrong because it says that 20 or 30 meters “are currently being planned” in other words, they have not been built yet. B. is wrong for the same reason as A. D is the opposite of what is written: “Dr Addams believes that the telescopes of the future will be a gigantic improvement in what is currently considered state-of-the-art.”

A is a correct statement but has nothing to do with why large telescopes are difficult to build. B is also a correct statement but flint is not used in the construction of modern telescopes. C is simply false.

The tools used in the manufacturing of the first Refracting telescope were all Galileo need to know and within 24 hours he had developed a better one. In fact, the process of improvements Galileo made on Lippershey’s telescope was quite dramatic.

Paragraph 1 talks about the refracting telescope: ‘They noticed that when they placed lenses one on top of the other, they were able to see a considerable distance.’

The 4th paragraph: ‘The telescope design used two pieces of special optical glass known as crown and flint glass. Each side of each piece was ground and polished, and then the two pieces were assembled together.’

Talking about the Reflective telescope in paragraph 3: ‘…lenses used for magnification in telescopes were replaced by mirrors.’ 

In the 4th paragraph: ‘The telescope design used two pieces of special optical glass known as crown and flint glass.’

The 2nd paragraph states: ‘Galileo achieved these extraordinary results by figuring out the combination of the positions of the lenses and also by making his own lenses which were of better quality.’

The 2nd paragraph states: ‘Galileo achieved these extraordinary results by… making his own lenses which were of better quality.

The 3rd paragraph states: ‘Thus, lenses used for magnification in telescopes were replaced by mirrors. Mirrors have since been the standard for telescopes.’

Paragraph A discusses in the first sentence (i.e topic sentence) ’The intense rate of change’ of electronic products.

The next main point in support of the change is many products are then rendered ‘obsolete’ with ‘500 million obsolete computers…destined for landfills, incinerators or hazardous waste exports’

Note: although exporting is mentioned in this paragraph, it is NOT the focus of it so it cannot be the answer.

Once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in-depth to confirm your choice.

15. ix

Paragraph B discusses in the first sentence that many of the materials found in computers are ‘highly toxic’. It continues by giving details about the different types of chemicals contained in them – ‘antimony, silver, chromium, zinc, lead…’

Note: although circuit boards arc referenced as having a very negative impact on the environment; the focus of the paragraph is not in this area.

16. ii

Paragraph C is clearly discussing the burning or incineration of computer junk. It also points out some of the difficulties associated with this activity – ‘..incineration is one of the greatest sources of heavy metal contamination of the atmosphere.’

17. iv

Paragraph D discusses landfills in the very’ first sentence and continues to discuss them throughout. The negative aspects of landfills are the particular focus – ‘even the best landfills are not completely safe’, ‘landfills leak’.

Note: the answer is not x even though there are references to mercury, it is not the focus of the paragraph.

vii

Paragraph A discusses in the first sentence (i.e topic sentence) ’The intense rate of change’ of electronic products.

The next main point in support of the change is many products are then rendered ‘obsolete’ with ‘500 million obsolete computers…destined for landfills, incinerators or hazardous waste exports’

Note: although exporting is mentioned in this paragraph, it is NOT the focus of it so it cannot be the answer.

Once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in-depth to confirm your choice.

Paragraph B discusses in the first sentence that many of the materials found in computers are ‘highly toxic’. It continues by giving details about the different types of chemicals contained in them – ‘antimony, silver, chromium, zinc, lead…’

Note: although circuit boards arc referenced as having a very negative impact on the environment; the focus of the paragraph is not in this area.

Paragraph C is clearly discussing the burning or incineration of computer junk. It also points out some of the difficulties associated with this activity – ‘..incineration is one of the greatest sources of heavy metal contamination of the atmosphere.’

Paragraph D discusses landfills in the very’ first sentence and continues to discuss them throughout. The negative aspects of landfills are the particular focus – ‘even the best landfills are not completely safe’, ‘landfills leak’.

Note: the answer is not x even though there are references to mercury, it is not the focus of the paragraph.

Paragraph E. states ‘…exporting of e-waste has been practised as another method to deal with its disposal’ and that ‘it was 12 times cheaper to ship old computer monitors to China than it was to recycle them.’

Note: the answer is not iii even though this is the feature of the introductory sentence. Be careful about this.

Paragraph F deals specifically with producers of electrical products disposing of them responsibly – ‘production and disposal..’ also, ‘Essentially, EPR places the responsibility of the production and disposal squarely on the shoulders of the producers of electronic products.’

Paragraph G focuses on law introduced by the WEEE – ‘products containing lead, mercury, ..must not be incinerated’ and ‘70% and 90% by weight of all collected equipment must be re-cycled’. Although it mentions that new products must contain parts of recycled products, this is only a part of the paragraph.

Paragraph D: CleanCo states that ‘The situation (leaking of waste in dumps) is far worse for older or less stringent dump sites.’

Paragraph E: Datatek states, ‘it was 1 2 times cheaper to ship old computer monitors to China than it was to recycle them.’

Paragraph A states, ‘Keyston…reported that… Most of these (old, outdated) computers will be destined for landfills (buried), incinerators or hazardous waste exports.’

Paragraph D: Everyone knows that landfills leak… Even the best, state-of-the-art landfills are not completely tight throughout their lifetimes.

A is correct. Paragraph C states: ‘It (the WEEE law) will require producers of electrical equipment to be responsible financially for the collection, recycling, and disposal of their products.’

B. is correct. Paragraph F states; ‘Essentially, EPR places the responsibility of the production and disposal squarely on the shoulders of the producers of electronic products.’

G is correct because Paragraph G states: ‘…between 70% and 90% by weight of all collected (recycled) equipment must be re-cycled or re-used.’

C is wrong because completely = 100% and the law states’ 70-90%… must be recycled’. D is wrong, it’s actually the producers who are responsible for the disposal of products. E is wrong, it’s actually the opposite of what the law states. F is not mentioned any wire re in the text.

Regrettably, a vast majority of the victims of this staggering number are from developing countries.

The text says, ‘„.natural disasters have been happening more frequently and with greater impact than ever before. ‘This does NOT mean they are worse titan natural disasters of the past hence, NG is the answer!

There is nothing in the passage about this!

The text says, ‘It follows that the international community should address the issue of ‘disaster preparedness’ and establish a process by which natural disasters are dealt with.’

The 4th paragraph states: That the benefits of Disaster risk reduction ‘…will be calculated not only in dollars or euros or yen saved, but most importantly, in saved lives in every corner of the globe,”

A & C are not mentioned in the text. B. is mentioned in the passage but only in connection with rebuilding Kobe, not in the reduction of disaster risk.

The 5th paragraph states: ‘Perhaps the most significant work done at the WCDR meetings was the drafting and adoption of the Hyogo Declaration.’

A is not correct because the people present are themselves not an outcome. B. is wrong because the WCDR was an opportunity to review the Yokohama Strategy. D is certainly a true statement but the passage does not list it as an important outcome.

The final paragraph states, ‘Attendees were told of how the town mobilized to facilitate recovery and reconstruction.’

There is nothing in the passage about A or C at all. Professor Kawata is an expert on earthquakes but there is nothing in the passage that says his leadership helped to rebuild Kobe – D is wrong.

The final paragraph states: ‘This public forum offered a variety of sessions, during which the lessons learned from the disastrous earthquake were discussed. ‘ and ‘…part of our gathering here today is to make sure that we do not forget what happened back in 1955’ and ‘As well as being a memorial… this forum, is a place to learn from earthquake experiences and incorporate the things we learned into our preparations for future disasters”. This means that the purpose of the forum is to remember what happened and also learn from the experience.

A is not correct as of the focus in on earthquakes specifically and not ‘natural disasters’ generally. U is not correct for the same reasons as A above. Although C is mentioned as being a part of the reason for the forum, it is only part of the reason and therefore not the best answer.

This document (i.e. the Hyogo Declaration)’…expresses the united determination of the international community to rely…on a people-centred early warning system’

In the above sentence, people are introduced as a contrast to advanced technology, that is, people will broadcast information on disasters (in addition to technology).

It was agreed at the lime (i.e. the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Forum) that in May 2005, a new hub for the coordination of international disaster recovery support activities would be established in Kobe.

This public forum offered a variety of sessions, during which the lessons learned from the disastrous earthquake were discussed. “Because this disaster happened over a decade ago, the memory of the devastation can be forgotten, part of our gathering here today is to make sure that we do not forget wit at happened back in 1995”. An exhibition hall showed pictures of mounds of rubble produced by the earthquake as well as displayed objects donated by earthquake victims… “As well as being a memorial, our facility is a place to learn from earthquake experiences and incorporate the things we learned into our preparations for future disasters”.

Among the guidelines (i.e. the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World)… donor developed countries are encouraged to give greater priority to disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparedness in their assistance programs and budgets, including through increasing financial contributions.

The Action Plan (i.e. the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World) encourages as a first step, the integration of disaster prevention programs in all development and policymaking plans for all countries.