Snow makers IELTS Reading Answers

Janice Thompson

7 min read

Updated On Aug 14, 2024

Snow-makers
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The Academic passage ‘Snow makers’ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test.

Since questions get repeated in the IELTS exam, these passages are ideal for practice. If you want more practice, try taking an IELTS reading practice test.

Snow-makers

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Question number	Answer	Explanation
1	ix	Paragraph C explains how the snow gun (artificial) ‘works differently’ from a ‘natural weather system’, but it accomplishes exactly the same thing. The ‘device basically works by combining water and air’. ‘Two different hoses’ are attached to the gun – one ‘leading from a water pumping’ station which pumps water up from a lake or reservoir, and the other ‘leading from an air compressor’. When the ‘compressed air passes through the hose’ into the gun, it ‘atomises the water’ – that is, it disrupts the stream so that the water splits up into tiny droplets. The ‘droplets are blown out of the gun’ and if the ‘outside temperature is below 0°C, ice crystals will form’, and will then make ‘snowflakes same as natural snow’ (natural product). Hence, the answer is ix (Artificial process, natural product).
2	iii	Paragraph D refers to the two types of snow – dry snow and wet snow. ‘Dry snow has a relatively low amount of water’, so it is ‘very light and powdery’. This type of snow is ‘excellent for skiing’ (need of dry snow) because skis glide over it easily without getting stuck in wet slush. One of the ‘advantages’ of using a snow-maker is that this powdery snow can be produced to ‘give the ski slopes a level surface’ (need of dry snow). However, ‘on slopes which receive heavy use’ (use of wet snow), ‘resort owners also use denser, wet snow underneath the dry snow’. Many resorts ‘build up the snow depth’ this way once or twice a year, and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter. Hence, the answer is iii (The need for different varieties of snow).
3	viii	Paragraph E states that the wetness of snow is dependent on the temperature and humidity outside, as well as the size of the water droplets launched by the gun. Snow-makers have to adjust the proportions of water and air in their snow guns to get the perfect snow consistency for the outdoor weather conditions. Many ski slopes now ‘do this with a central computer system’ (new method) that is ‘connected to weather-reading stations’ all over the slope. Hence, the answer is viii (New method for calculating modifications).

Question number

Answer

Explanation

Paragraph C explains how the snow gun (artificial) ‘works differently’ from a ‘natural weather system’, but it accomplishes exactly the same thing. The ‘device basically works by combining water and air’. ‘Two different hoses’ are attached to the gun – one ‘leading from a water pumping’ station which pumps water up from a lake or reservoir, and the other ‘leading from an air compressor’. When the ‘compressed air passes through the hose’ into the gun, it ‘atomises the water’ – that is, it disrupts the stream so that the water splits up into tiny droplets. The ‘droplets are blown out of the gun’ and if the ‘outside temperature is below 0°C, ice crystals will form’, and will then make ‘snowflakes same as natural snow’ (natural product).

Hence, the answer is ix (Artificial process, natural product).

iii

Paragraph D refers to the two types of snow – dry snow and wet snow. ‘Dry snow has a relatively low amount of water’, so it is ‘very light and powdery’. This type of snow is ‘excellent for skiing’ (need of dry snow) because skis glide over it easily without getting stuck in wet slush. One of the ‘advantages’ of using a snow-maker is that this powdery snow can be produced to ‘give the ski slopes a level surface’ (need of dry snow). However, ‘on slopes which receive heavy use’ (use of wet snow), ‘resort owners also use denser, wet snow underneath the dry snow’. Many resorts ‘build up the snow depth’ this way once or twice a year, and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter. Hence, the answer is iii (The need for different varieties of snow).

viii

Paragraph E states that the wetness of snow is dependent on the temperature and humidity outside, as well as the size of the water droplets launched by the gun. Snow-makers have to adjust the proportions of water and air in their snow guns to get the perfect snow consistency for the outdoor weather conditions. Many ski slopes now ‘do this with a central computer system’ (new method) that is ‘connected to weather-reading stations’ all over the slope. Hence, the answer is viii (New method for calculating modifications).

4	i	Paragraph F reveals that ‘man-made snow’ makes ‘heavy demands on the environment’. It takes about ‘275,000 litres of water’ to ‘create a blanket of snow covering a 60×60 metre area’ (wastage of water). Moreover, ‘considerable amounts of energy’ are needed to ‘run the large air-compressing pumps’, and the ‘diesel engines’ which run them also ‘cause air pollution’. Hence, the answer is i (Considering ecological costs).
5	vi	Paragraph G points out that ‘man-made snow’ has a ‘number of other uses’ as well. A layer of snow keeps a lot of the Earth’s heat from escaping into the atmosphere, so ‘farmers’ often use ‘man-made snow to provide insulation for winter crops’. Secondly, ‘snow-making machines have played a big part in many movie productions’. Movie producers often take several months to shoot scenes that cover just a few days. If the movie takes place in a snowy setting, the set decorators have to get the right amount of snow for each day of shooting either by adding man-made snow or melting natural snow. ‘Another important application of man-made snow’ is its ‘use in the tests that aircraft must undergo’ in order to ‘ensure’ that they can ‘function safely in extreme conditions’. Hence, the answer is vi (Applications beyond the ski slopes).
6	compressed	Paragraph C describes how the snow gun works very differently from a natural weather system. The ‘device basically works by combining water and air’. ‘Two different hoses’ are ‘attached to the gun’ – ‘one leading from a water pumping station which pumps water up from a lake or reservoir’, and the ‘other leading from an air compressor’ (which carry compressed air as marked in the diagram). When the ‘compressed air’ passes through the hose into the gun, it atomises the water. Hence, the answer is ‘compressed’.
7	(tiny) droplets	Paragraph C tells that the snow gun basically works by combining water and air. Two different hoses are attached to the gun – one leading from a water pumping station which pumps water up from a lake or reservoir, and the other leading from an air compressor. When the compressed air passes through the hose into the gun, it ‘atomises the water’ – that is, it disrupts the stream ‘so that the water splits up’ into ‘tiny droplets’. The ‘droplets’ are blown out of the gun. Hence, the answer is (tiny) droplets.
8	Ice crystals	Paragraph C informs that the snow gun works by combining water and air. When the compressed air passes through the hose into the gun, it ‘atomises the water’ – that is, it disrupts the stream so that the water ‘splits up into tiny droplets’. The droplets are then blown out of the gun and ‘if the outside temperature is below 0°C’, ‘ice crystals’ will form, and will then make snowflakes in the same way as natural snow. Hence, the answer is ice crystals.
9	Depth	Paragraph D refers to an advantage of using a snow-maker which is that ‘this powdery snow’ (dry snow) can be produced to ‘give the ski slopes a level surface’. However, ‘on slopes which receive heavy use’ (busy slope), resort owners also ‘use denser, wet snow’ underneath the dry snow. Many resorts ‘build up’ (increase) ‘the snow depth’ this way once or twice a year, and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter. Hence, the answer is depth.
10	Temperature and humidity	Paragraph E brings forward the fact that the ‘wetness of snow’ is ‘dependent on the temperature and humidity outside’ (temperature and humidity are measured first), as well as the size of the water droplets launched by the gun. Snow-makers have to adjust the proportions of water and air in their snow guns ‘to get the perfect snow consistency’ for the outdoor weather conditions. Hence, the answer is temperature and humidity.
11	Energy	Paragraph F reveals that ‘man-made snow’ makes ‘heavy demands on the environment’ (damaging to environment). Considerable ‘amounts of energy’ are ‘needed to run’ (consume) the ‘large air-compressing pumps’ (machinery used in the process of making snow). Hence, the answer is energy.
12	Insulation	In paragraph G, it is mentioned that a layer of snow keeps a lot of the Earth’s heat from escaping into the atmosphere. So, ‘farmers’ (people related to agriculture) often ‘use man-made snow’ (use artificial snow) to ‘provide insulation’ for ‘winter crops’ (crops in winter). Hence, the answer is insulation.
13	Aircraft	Paragraph G recognises another important application of ‘man-made snow’ (artificial snow) is its ‘use in the tests’ that ‘aircraft must undergo’ in order to ‘ensure’ (carry out safety checks) that they can ‘function safely in extreme conditions’. Hence, the answer is aircraft.

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