IELTS 2017.12.

14 Reading REAL
Passage 1
Topic American ethanol alcohol energy
Content Review

Is Ethanol the Answer?

P1 Ethanol has been lauded as being a bridge fuel solution that could reduce air pollution and

increase national energy security in the US, however, because of some of the ‘hidden’ costs of ethanol

production, and this focus on corn ethanol has led to a stagnated advanced bio-fuels industry, according

to

researchers.

P2 There is a new way to produce ethanol. First, straw will be steamed and fiber could be

Extracted. Then, fiber will be put into a bioreactor. After the bio-reaction with sugarcane, natural gas

is added, sugar and large quantities of byproducts, including lignin, could be produced. Next, we put

remaining sugar into distiller, and ethanol is available with byproduct distillage.

P3 For ethanol to be beneficial, it has to be effective, meaning it must require less energy to make

than it produces. Calculations of the costs of producing ethanol from the most common source—corn—
vary. But most experts concede it takes a significant amount of energy and money.

P4 Ethanol is used as alcohol in commonly and now is also used as transportation fuel. The largest

single use of ethanol as a fuel is as a motor fuel and fuel additive. However, 1.5 gallon of ethanol could

provide the same energy as 1 gallon of gasoline. Water does not mix with oil and water

may contaminate pipeline.

P5 Before ethanol can become an economic alternative for fuel, there will need to be more efficient

methods. Now, the efficiency is low and if America squanders all its corn, only seven percent of energy

consumed around US could be manufactured. Also, the bio-fuels industry needs ways to combine

integrated production technologies and reduce byproducts like carbon dioxide. If these goals are met,

then ethanol could become a viable economic choice as a fuel that also reduces greenhouse gas
emissions.

Questions & Answers

Questions 1-5 T / F / NG

1. Ethanol is a very sanitary resource.     T  (first paragraph)

2. In America, Ethanol has been produced and utilized in abundance.   NG 

3. Natural gas is needed in every step to produce ethanol.   F (some steps)

4. A lot of byproducts are manufactured during the production of ethanol.   T (第二段)

5. Ethanol could produce more energy than gasoline in same quantity of gallon.   F (第四段)

Questions 6-10 Flow Chart (second paragraph)

6. fiber

7. bioreactor

8. lignin

9. distiller

10. distillage
 

Questions 11-13 Short Answer

11. What polluted the petroleum pipeline? Water (fourth paragraph)

12. How much energy could be produced if all corn in US were utilized for the production of

ethanol?
 7%  of America  (fifth paragraph)
13. What has effects on global warming in ethanol’s combustion products?
Carbon dioxide (fifth paragraph)
 

Passage 2
Topic Parental involvement in education
Content Review
A survey about parental involvement in education
In recent years, the focus of much research has been directed towards discovering ways to

increase student performance. Advances have been made in several areas including special education,

test preparation, and assessment strategies. However, one of the most effective area of increased

student motivation lies not in the schools at all, but in the homes. Parental involvement continues to be

the most influential factor in student achievement and motivation. Students whose parents are closely

involved in their school lives and who monitor their progress have best scores in high school.

List several ways about how parents can involve in school education: engage in the school

management; donate a large amount of money to the school; do a great contribution for the school

building…

In Canada, there was a strict law to forbid parents to involving in their children schools education.

But now, the regulation has been changed, more and more parents are encouraged to engage in the

school education, since the children performance is closely related to their parents.

In America, the government, the state, and even the Congress all invest a considerable amount of

capitals to school to let parents take participate in school decisions. Also, this was supported by a

systemic laws issued by the government.

Comparing with the rich and high social status parents, the poor parents’ devotion to the school is

very limited, because they have to do many works and thus have no energy to join the school education.

Some scholars hold the view that parental involvement on school education will have a negative

impact on children study in the long-term.

  

From what has been discussed above, the writer thinks the influence of the cooperation between

parents and school is uncertain.

Questions & Answers

Questions 14-19  T / F / NG

14. There is a decline tendency towards parental involvement in school education.   F

15. In Canada, parents’ engagement in school management have a positive influence.  T

16. American government encourage parents to involve in the school education.   T

17. The poor parents have a big devotion in school decisions.   F

18. The Canadian government will come up with a law concerning the parental involvement

in school education.   NG

19. In the whole world, parents’ involvement will definitely do good to children study.   F

Questions 20-25 Matching: match the statements with the scholars

20. The people think there are more parents involve in school education in Canada.

C: Arthur

21. Parents should participate in school management.

B: Two names

22. Parental involvement in pre-school education is important.

A: William

23. The poor parents have little involvement in school education.

D: Three names

24. In America, there is a systemic law about parental involvement in school education, which made

American education best.

E: Henry

25. Too much parental involvement have a negative impact on school education.
C: Arthur

Questions 26 Multiple choice

26. According to the main idea of the passage, what is the writer’s attitude towards parental

involvement in school education?
B. there is little evidence show that parental involvement have great influence on school
education.
 

Passage 3
Topic American working hours
Content Review

“Take back your time”

A: In 2003, a pipeline-repairer was badly injured because he was working without wearing his

gloves. Before that he has worked for 3 days with less than 5 hours of sleep each day.

B: David Wann has founded a program called “take back your time”, this is supported by many

education authorities, societies and activists.

C: Report reveals that between 1973 and 2004, the time spent on work by American people

increased by 200 hours each week, which makes them the most industrious people in the world.

D: Most of the people put money superior to time. They think it very natural to work overtime and

have less time to relax.

E: It is suggested that the work time be reduced by half and more workers be employed.

F: A psychologist John has found that the fewer hours people work, the more well-being they will

feel.

G: The program has done a series of activities, showing that people’s work time has close

relationship to the environment. America has the highest carbon dioxide emission in the world. But if

more people choose to work less and consume less, the footprint would be reduced to a large extent.

H: Some educationists suggest that we copy the method by Norway.

Questions & Answers

Questions 27-34 paragraph with information

27. the result if other specific countries copy what the Americans do   D

28. what activities have been done by the programme   G

29. whether there is relation between time and money   D

30. we can copy what other country does   H

31. what the U.S president ask its citizen to do and the reason   G

32. most people believe that the more money you earn the much happier you will be   F

33. an accident that causes the socialists’ attention about overtime   A

34. the influence of reducing work time on the environment   B

Questions 35-40 Person Name Theory

35. The workers pretend that they can hold the heavy workload.   A

36. Less work time and less consumption does not mean they are not loyal to its country.   C

37. The workers have alternatives and less time does not lead to unemployment.   D

38. To reduce work hours and relax more will do no harm to the economy.   B

39. They don’t think they are overloaded and enjoy their situation.   D

40. The Americans have worked overtime and lack of relax.   C

A. David When

B. Julia Herth

C. John de Greef

D. Tim Siccer

Passage 3:
题目：Take Back your Time。
The following is the original reading that was found according to the test memories:

Take back your time: should we be working less and enjoying ourselves more?In 1999,
telephone line repairman Brent Churchill was killed by 7,200 volts of electricity. He had
worked almost continuously for three days with less than five hours of sleep when he
inadvertently grabbed a live cable without his insulating gloves.

"We are working ourselves to death and we are defining ourselves according to that frenzy,"
says environmental scientist and author David Wann. "One thing leads to another in a
lifestyle that is so tightly compressed that we can't see any other alternatives." Wann,
coauthor ofAffluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, is part of a new movement called Take
Back Your Time, which focuses on how overworking impairs all areas of life, including
health, family and the environment. The movement is supported by such groups as the Center
for Religion, Ethics and Social Policy at Cornell University, The Simplicity Forum, the
Simple Living Network and theCenter for a New American Dream.
On October 24, 2003, Take Back Your Time had its first commemorative day, and movement
leaders are hoping that what was learned at its series of teach-ins and discussions will raise
the consciousness of workers and policy makers everywhere.

"We are in the midst of a crash but we haven't hit the ground," says Vicki Robin, coauthor of
Your Money or Your Life. "Americans think that we should be rugged individuals, that we
should 'tough it out,' but we are the most overworked industrial nation on Earth. People are
developing stress-related illnesses and can't raise their own children."

In the movement's new handbook, Take Back Your Time: Fighting Time Poverty and
Overwork in America, Harvard sociologist Juliet Schor, who also wrote The Overworked
American, reports that from 1973 to 2000, the average American worker put in five
additional weeks a year. This equates to 200 more work hours in a year.

According to this movement, over working, or "time poverty," causes family time to be
limited, and results in unhealthy relationships and higher levels of stress. This contributes to
stress-induced health conditions and unhealthy living patterns.
"In our increasingly fast-paced lives we need time more than ever," says John de Graff,
coordinator of Take Back Your Time and the editor of the handbook. "We should take the
opportunity to trade our increases in productivity for leisure time rather than more stuff we
don't really want." de Graff claims that Americans have over-valued productivity, leading
them to put money ahead of time. "Part of why we are working so hard is to produce more
and more, and that is unsustainable," he says. "If everyone adopted the American lifestyle we
would need four Earth-like planets."

The movement's solution is simple: cut back work hours and start enjoying a simpler life.
Instead of laying off thousands of workers, de Graff suggests cutting back the number of
hours so everyone will still be employed. The idea can seem simplistic because, for many
people, cutting back would mean losing their benefits. "We have a sizeable amount of people
in this country who would be willing to trade pay for some time off," says de Graff. "And
those folks should be given that opportunity without losing their benefits."

Tim Kasser, a psychologist and author of The High Price of Materialism, says that when he
asks people how they are feeling, the first response is often that they are busy. Kasser and
psychologist Kirk Warren Brown found a correlation between the number of hours worked
and well-being. According to their study, the less people worked the happier they were, and
the more likely they were to live their lives in an environmentally friendly way.
Kasser and Brown conducted a survey that consisted of a list of 40 environmentally
beneficial activities, and they asked questions according to the "ecological footprint" model.
This model measures the amount of acres needed to sustain a person's lifestyle. For example,
if a person eats meat, doesn't buy locally or never recycles, they would have a larger
ecological footprint than a vegetarian who does buy things locally and recycles. A healthy
ecological footprint is usually set at five acres or less. Today, however, Americans average
about 24 acres--the highest footprint in the world except for the United Arab Emirates, which
averages 25 acres.

"President George W. Bush told Americans after September 11 that they could help the
economy by shopping," says Kasser. "Shopping has become a patriotic thing." Kasser says
part of the push behind the Take Back Your Time movement is to show people that it is
socially acceptable to cut back work hours and not consume as much.

Graff says America should model Norway in its approach to consumerism. "Could we ever
imagine the day when a U.S. politician would say, 'It might be better if we as a nation
consumed less and worked less?" he asks. "Norwegians are saying that. If we had a leader
who was calling for it, we would be a lot more secure in the long run."
 Reading Passage 3

Coinage in Ancient Greece

A There are more than 170 official national currencies currently in circulation
around the world – and while they may differ greatly in value, most show a high
degree of commonality when it comes to their design. Typically, a coin or
banknote will feature the effigy of a notable politician, monarch or other
personality from the country of origin on one side and a recognisable state
symbol (e.g. a building or an animal) on the reverse. This pattern, which has
been around for more than 21 centuries, originated in ancient Greece.

B Prior to the invention of legal tender, most transactions in the ancient world
took the form of trading a product or service for another. As sea trade grew in
the Mediterranean, however, the once popular barter system became hard to
maintain for two reasons: firstly, because it was tricky to calculate the value of
each item or service in relation to another, and secondly, because carrying large
goods (such as animals) on boats to do trade with neighbouring cities was
difficult and inconvenient. Therefore, the need soon arose for a commonly
recognised unit that would represent a set value – what is known today as a
currency. As Aristotle explains in Politics, metal coins naturally became the most
popular option due to the fact that they were easy to carry, and didn’t run the risk
of expiring. According to ancient Greek historian Herodotus, the first coins were
invented in 620 BC in the town of Lydia, although some theorise that they
actually originated in the city of Ionia. (Coins had already existed for nearly 400
years in China, unbeknownst to Europeans.)

C Much like with every other form of ancient Greek art, the history of ancient
Greek coins can be divided into three distinct chronological periods: the Archaic
(600- 480 BC), the Classic (480-330 BC) and the Hellenistic Period (330-lst
century BC). As ancient Greece was not a united country like today, but rather
comprised of many independent city-states known as poleis, each state
produced its own coins. The island of Aegina was the first to mint silver coins,
perhaps adopting the new system upon witnessing how successfully it had
facilitated trade for the Ionians. Aegina being the head of a confederation of
seven states, it quickly influenced other city-states in the Mediterranean and the
new method of trade soon became widespread. Up until approximately 510 BC,
when Athens began producing its own coin, the Aegina coin – which featured a
turtle on its surface – was the most predominant in the region.
 D The tetradrachm, Athens’s new coin bearing the picture of an owl on its
obverse as a tribute to the city’s protector, the goddess Athena, brought with it a
shift in the world of coinage. Prior to the tetradrachm, Athenians had been using
simple iron rods known as ‘obols‘ for currency. As the average human hand
could grasp about six obols, that number soon came to represent a ‘drachma’
(from the Greek verb ‘dratto‘, which means ‘to grasp’) – so the new tetradrachm
had the same value as 24 obols. With Athens continually growing in power, the
tetradrachm soon replaced the Aegina ‘turtle’ as the most preponderant coin in
the region. It was around that time that an agreement akin to way the EU’s euro
currency functions also appeared, with different coins from all over the
Mediterranean being made to the same standards as the Athenian coin (albeit
with each city’s own symbols on them) and being used interchangeably among
the trading city-states.

E Coinage soon spread beyond those city-states. Romans abandoned the

bronze bars they’d been using in favour of coins around the year 300 BC, and
Alexander the Great and his father King Philip of Macedonia began to produce
massive quantities of coins to fund their military escapades around the same
time. It was with the death of the latter, in 336 BC, that the Hellenistic Period
began. Two things characterise the Hellenistic Period: the introduction of a
“type” (the design that coins were stamped with) on the reverse of the coins, and
mass production, which mostly took place in kingdoms beyond the Greek city-
states, such as Egypt, Syria and the far east. Another new feature, which was
heavily criticised by the Greeks, was the introduction of profiles of kings and
other important living figures as stamps in lieu of the traditional symbols of
animals and buildings. Athens, still a powerful city at the time, eschewed these
designs and continued to produce its own tetradrachm coins, even introducing –
a new style coin characterised by broad, thin flans – a design which became
popular across the Agean and lasted until the spread of Roman rule over
Greece.

F It’s not difficult to see why ancient Greek coins continue to fascinate coin
collectors and historians today. They marked the beginning of a new era in
business and introduced a model of trade in Europe that is still present
nowadays; they greatly influenced the design of modern coinage, with symbols
such as the owl (which can be seen on the Greek version of the euro today) and
portraits of important personalities; and, since they were hand-made to high
technical standards representative of ancient Greek perfectionism, many are
even remarkable in their own right, as tiny metal works of art.

Questions 29-34
The reading passage has six paragraphs, A-F. Choose the correct heading for
paragraphs A-F from the list of headings below.

List of Headings
I The beginning of the Archaic period
II The Athenian obol replaces the turtle
III How product exchange became insufficient
IV Roman and Macedonian coins
V The relevance of ancient Greek coins today
VI New cities introduce new design rules
 VII A precursor of the modern euro
VIII The difference between Ionian and Lydian coins
IX Modern coin designs and their origin
29 Paragraph A __
30 Paragraph B __
31 Paragraph C __
32 Paragraph D __
33 Paragraph E __
34 Paragraph F __

Questions 35-38
Answer the questions below with words taken from Reading Passage 3.
Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
35 What were the ancient Greek city-states commonly known as? ______
36 Which type did the Aegina coin use? ______
37 What was the value of a drachma in ancient Athens? ______
38 What did the Romans use prior to the introduction of coins? ______

Questions 39-40
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

39 The Athenian Hellenistic-period tetradrachm coin

A replaced the owl type with the profile of a king.
B was a thin, wide metal disk.
C remained popular under Roman rule.
D was massively produced in Syria and Egypt.

40 Ancient Greek coins

A are still a method of trade in Europe nowadays.
B are remarkably different from modern coins.
C are a fine example of ancient Greek art.
D were a tribute to the goddess Athena, protector of Athens.

IELTS Reading Section 3 ANSWERS

1. IX. This is a very straightforward answer. V – relevance of Greek coins can’t be used
here as it is only a minor point.
2. III. The paragraph focuses on flaws of barter system and how with the growth of
Mediterranean trade a new form of exchange appeared.
3. I. A good reference point can be found at the end of the paragraph: ‘Up until
approximately 510 BC’. At the beginning of the paragraph three distinct periods are
mentioned, and then the paragraph refers to the first – Archaic one.
4. VII. ‘Precursor’ is something that existed before the thing that influenced it. For
example, a cart is a precursor of the modern automobile. Thus, the system adopted in
Athens was an earlier design of what is now used in the European Union.
5. VI. A number of states and cities are mentioned such as Egypt, Syria and Athens, all
coming up with their own rules and patterns of coin design.
6. V. Ancient Greek coins remain desirable both as items of great period of history and
as things of beautiful design.
7. Poleis. Paragraph Two, second sentence. Make sure to get the spelling right.
8. Turtle. There were several ‘types’ of coins, including a ‘turtle’ type. Another type
mentioned in the text is the tetradrachm.
9. Six obols/6 obols. The answer is in the third sentence of Paragraph C. Do not
confuse it with tetradrachm, which is 24 obols.
10. Bronze bars. Second sentence of Paragraph E mentions the Romans giving up
using bronze bars in favor of coins around 300 BC.
11. B. Answers A, C and D generally refer to coins of Hellenistic period, whereas only
answer B is true for coins made in Athens during that period (last sentence of Paragraph E).
12. C. Last paragraph of the text focuses on the aesthetic value of the coins of Ancient
Greece and how they are a worthy example of art of that time and place.