Tree Cutters at Work & Plumbing Skills – IELTS Reading Answers

Kasturika Samanta

11 min read

Updated On Jul 12, 2024

Reading Passage 1
Reading Passage 2
Answers for Tree Cutters at Work & Plumbing Skills – IELTS General Reading Passages with Explanation
Tips to Solve the Question Types in the Tree Cutters at Work & Plumbing Skills Reading Answers
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The IELTS General Passages, ‘Tree Cutters at Work’ and ‘Plumbing Skills’ are part of Cambridge IELTS 17 General Training Reading Test 4 and ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on both these passages. All you need is to be able to approach and respond to the different question types, like those in Reading Answers of Tree Cutters at Work and Plumbing Skills, in order to perform well.

There are 13 questions in total in ‘Tree Cutters at Work’ and ‘Plumbing Skills’ passages. You must understand the subject, look up key terms in the IELTS reading passages, and then respond in line with the instructions. Also, start practicing timed IELTS General Reading practice exams on a regular basis if your goal is to become proficient in these passages and obtain a high IELTS reading band score.

The question types found in these passages are:

IELTS Reading Notes /Flow Chart Completion (Q. 1-7)
IELTS Reading Table Completion (Q. 8-13)

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the reading passages below.

Reading Passage 1

Read the text below and answer Questions 1-7.

Tree Cutters at Work

Today the tree cutting team consists of myself, Gary and Mikael. We are going to cut down a tall tree that is inside the boundary of a busy timer yard. It’s Saturday, not a working day for the yard and it is far easier to remove a tree when no one else is around. As supervisor, I first pop into our office to sort out the paperwork for the day which includes the risk assessments. Then I look at the most up to date weather forecast as wind and rain make our job much more difficult. Luckily we have picked a good day.

Next we load up the equipment — things like petrol driven chainsaws of varying sizes, helmets and waterproofs, spades, rakes and other tools etc. must all go on the truck before the three of us set off. On arrival at the site, we have a quick discussion on the procedure for the day.

After that one of — today it’s Gary — goes up the tree to quickly select his anchor point. This is the position from which he will cut down the tree. It must be high enough to enable access throughout the tree’s branches but also have sufficient strength to support the climber. The first few big branches can be cut from the tree in large pieces and dropped into the yard so we make good progress during the morning and start our wood pile there.

Having removed the more accessible branches, we have lunch and then set up a simple system to reach the smaller upper branches. This involves placing a pulley in the tree and using thick rope to drag the branches down. When they are cut these will fall further away outside the boundary of the yard. On the other side of the perimeter fence is a wide grass verge and then a footpath where I set up a number of signs to alert the public to our activities.

Working alongside a road requires vigilance, so I monitor the movements of pedestrians and as Gary starts work, I watch what he is doing so it can ensure safety. Once the branches are on the ground, I throw them back over the fence to Mikael, who cuts them up and feeds the machine that dices them into very small pieces called wood chippings.

Questions 1-7

Complete the flowchart below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage.

Cutting down a big tree

The site supervisor checks the paperwork and the latest information on the weather first.
Chainsaws, clothing and all 1…………… are then loaded onto the lorry
The team talk briefly at the site about the overall 2……………. before the work begins
The climber’s anchor point must have the necessary height and 3 …………… for the job
The first branches are cut and placed in a pile in the yard
A pulley and some 4…………….. assist in the removal of the top branches
At this point signs are placed on the 5……………..
For safety the actions of both the tree cutter and 6…………….. must be regularly checked
A special machine creates 7……………… out of some of the wood.

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Reading Passage 2

Read the text below and answer Questions 8-13.

Plumbing Skills

In a residential building such as a block of flats, underfloor jobs that involve plumbing mechanical and electrical systems are common. They may need to take place in a narrow space that is often only about 35 cm deep. In addition the floors are typically covered with a wood product, engineered to resemble solid wood that has very strict criteria as far as drilling and cutting are concerned. The plumber cannot just go in and cut holes and lay pipes. He must first think about what he is doing, read and understand the cutting chart that accompanies each of his tools and visualise how his work will impact on other tradespeople before proceeding.

Commercial plumbers working on office buildings, hotels, restaurants etc. have the same issues and coordination problems as residential plumbers but often have to install equipment that is more sophisticated. This is because it forms part of integrated systems where mechanical work and plumbing work are combined. The equipment will have specific installation instructions so it is critical that the plumber has the cognitive ability to understand these. In addition, often the structures are complex, and the floors and walls must be X-rayed prior to drilling in order to avoid hitting key elements such as reinforcing steel.

Service plumbers go in where others have been and often face situations where they must troubleshoot various possible causes of a plumbing problem. In order to do this effectively they must have complete knowledge of say a customer’s shower until they are servicing even if they did not install it. They must have the ability to translate the symptoms they can see such as leaks and blockages into the actual problem and then take the appropriate action to rectify the issue in a fast and cost effective way.

Often service plumbers encounter residential or commercial customers who are either facing great inconvenience or have had their operations severely disrupted because of a plumbing issue. Successful service plumbers not only need good mechanical skills but they typically need very good people skills to provide necessary support.

Questions 8-13

Complete the table below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.

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Answers for Tree Cutters at Work & Plumbing Skills – IELTS General Reading Passages with Explanation

Check out the answer key for the IELTS General Reading passages, ‘Tree Cutters at Work’ and ‘Plumbing Skills’, with detailed explanations for each of them.

1 Answer: tools