Reading 2026-04 Test 11 — IELTS Academic Reading Practice Test with Answers

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Reading Passage 1: Satellite Technology

The space-age began with the launch of the Russian artificial satellite Sputnik in 1957 and developed further with the race to the moon between the United States and Russia. This rivalry was characterized by advanced technology and huge budgets. In this process, there were spectacular successes, some failures, but also many spin-offs.

Europe, Japan, China, and India quickly joined this space club of the superpowers. With the advent of relatively low-cost high-performance mini-satellites and launchers, the acquisition of indigenous space capabilities by smaller nations in Asia has become possible. How, in what manner, and for what purpose will these capabilities be realized?

A Rocket technology has progressed considerably since the days of ‘fire arrows’ (bamboo poles filled with gunpowder) first used in China around 500 BC, and, during the Sung Dynasty, to repel Mongol invaders at the battle of Kaifeng (Kai-fung fu) in AD 1232. These ancient rockets stand in stark contrast to the present-day Chinese rocket launch vehicles, called the ‘Long March’, intended to place a Chinese astronaut in space by 2005 and, perhaps, to achieve a Chinese moon-landing by the end of the decade.

B In the last decade, there has been a dramatic growth in space activities in Asia both in the utilization of space-based services and the production of satellites and launchers. This rapid expansion has led many commentators and analysts to predict that Asia will become a world space power. The space-age has had dramatic effects worldwide with direct developments in space technology influencing telecommunications, meteorological forecasting, earth resource and environmental monitoring, and disaster mitigation (flood, forest fires, and oil spills). Asian nations have been particularly eager to embrace these developments.

C New and innovative uses for satellites are constantly being explored with potential revolutionary effects, such as in the field of health and telemedicine, distance education, crime prevention (piracy on the high seas), food and agricultural planning and production (rice crop monitoring). Space in Asia is very much influenced by the competitive commercial space sector, the emergence of low-cost mini-satellites, and the globalization of industrial and financial markets. It is not evident how Asian space will develop in the coming decades in the face of these trends. It is, however, important to understand and assess the factors and forces that shape Asian space activities and development in determining its possible consequences for the region.

D At present, three Asian nations, Japan, China, and India, have comprehensive end-to-end space capabilities and possess a complete space infrastructure: space technology, satellite manufacturing, rockets, and spaceports. Already self-sufficient in terms of satellite design and manufacturing, South Korea is currently attempting to join their ranks with its plans to develop a launch site and spaceport. Additionally, nations in Southeast Asia as well as those bordering the Indian subcontinent (Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh), have, or are starting to develop indigenous space programmes. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has, in varying degrees, embraced space applications using foreign technology and over the past five years or so its space activities have been expanding. Southeast Asia is predicted to become the largest and fastest-growing market for commercial space products and applications, driven by telecommunications (mobile and fixed services), the Internet, and remote sensing applications. In the development of this technology, many non-technical factors, such as economics, politics, culture, and history, interact and play important roles, which in turn affect Asian technology.

E Asia and Southeast Asia, in particular, suffers from a long list of recurrent large-scale environmental problems including storms and flooding, forest fires and deforestation, and crop failures. Thus the space application that has attracted the most attention in this region is remote sensing. Remote sensing satellites equipped with instruments to take photographs of the ground at different wavelengths provide essential information for natural resource accounting, environmental management, disaster prevention and monitoring, land-use mapping, and sustainable development planning. Progress in these applications has been rapid and impressive. ASEAN members, unlike Japan, China, and India, do not have their own remote sensing satellites, however, most of its member nations have facilities to receive, process, and interpret such data from American and European satellites. In particular, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore have world-class remote sensing processing facilities and research programmes. ASEAN has plans to develop (and launch) its own satellites and in particular remote sensing satellites. Japan is regarded as the dominant space power in Asia and its record of successes and quality of technologies are equal to those of the West. In view of the technological challenges and high risks involved in space activities, a very long, and expensive, the learning curve has been followed to obtain those successes achieved. Japan’s satellite manufacturing was based on the old and traditional defense and military procurement methodologies as practiced in the US and Europe.

F In recent years there have been fundamental changes in the way satellites are designed and built to drastically reduce costs. The emergence of ‘small satellites’ and their quick adoption by Asian countries as a way to develop low-cost satellite technology and rapidly establish a space capability has given these countries the possibility to shorten their learning curve by a decade or more. The global increase of technology transfer mechanisms and use of readily available commercial technology to replace costly space and military-standard components may very well result in a highly competitive Asian satellite manufacturing industry.

G The laws of physics are the same in Tokyo as in Toulouse, and the principles of electronics and mechanics know no political or cultural boundaries. However, no such immutability applies to engineer practices and management; they are very much influenced by education, culture, and history. These factors, in turn, have an effect on costs, lead times, product designs and, eventually, international sales. Many Asian nations are sending their engineers to be trained in the West. Highly experienced, they return to work in the growing Asian space industry. Will this acquisition of technical expertise, coupled perhaps with the world-renowned Japanese manufacturing and management techniques, be applied to build world-class satellites and reduce costs?

1
Paragraph A
- i. Western countries provide essential assistance
- ii. Unbalanced development for an essential space technology
- iii. Innovative application compelled by competition
- iv. An ancient invention which is related to the future
- v. Military purpose of the satellite
- vi. Rockets for application in ancient China
- vii. Space development in Asia in the past
- viii. Non-technology factors counts
- ix. competitive edge gained by more economically feasible satellite
2
Paragraph B
3
Paragraph C
4
Paragraph E
5
Paragraph F
6
Why remote-photographic technology is used to resolve environmental problems?
- A. Because it helps administrate the crops.
- B. Because there are some unapproachable areas.
- C. Because the economic level in that area is low.
- D. Because there are influences from some other social factors.
- E. Because it can be used in non-peaceful purpose.
- F. Because disasters such as bush fire happened in Southeast Asia.
7
Why satellites technology is used in the medicine area?
8
Why Asian countries satellite technology is limited for development?
9
Why satellites technology is deployed in an agricultural area?
10
Ancient China had already deployed rockets as a military purpose as early as 500 years ago.
- TRUE. TRUE
- FALSE. FALSE
- NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN
11
Space technology has enhanced the literacy of Asia.
12
Photos taken by satellites with certain technology help predict some natural catastrophes prevention and surveillance.
13
Commercial competition constitutes a boosting factor to Asian technology development.

Reading Passage 2: Coral Reefs

Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups.

A Coral reefs are estimated to cover 284,300 km2, just under 0.1% of the oceans' surface area, about half the area of France. The Indo-Pacific region accounts for 91.9% of this total area. Southeast Asia accounts for 32.3% of that figure, while the Pacific including Australia accounts for 40.8%. Atlantic and Caribbean coral reefs account for 7.6%. Yet often called “rainforests of the sea", coral reefs form some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. They provide a home for 25% of all marine species, including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Paradoxically, coral reefs flourish even though they are surrounded by ocean waters that provide few nutrients. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water corals also exist on smaller scales in other areas. Although corals exist both in temperate and tropical waters, shallow-water reefs form only in a zone extending from 30°N to 30°S of the equator. Deep water coral can exist at greater depths and colder temperatures at much higher latitudes, as far north as Norway. Coral reefs are rare along the American and African west coasts. This is due primarily to upwelling and strong cold coastal currents that reduce water temperatures in these areas (respectively the Peru, Benguela and Canary streams). Corals are seldom found along the coastline of South Asia from the eastern tip of India (Madras) to the Bangladesh and Myanmar borders. They are also rare along the coast around northeastern South America and Bangladesh due to the freshwater release from the Amazon and Ganges Rivers, respectively.

B Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services to tourism, fisheries and coastline protection. The global economic value of coral reefs has been estimated at as much as $US375 billion per year. Coral reefs protect shorelines by absorbing wave energy, and many small islands would not exist without their reef to protect them.

C The value of reefs in biodiverse regions can be even higher. In parts of Indonesia and the Caribbean where tourism is the main use, reefs are estimated to be worth US$1 million per square kilometer, based on the cost of maintaining sandy beaches and the value of attracting snorkelers and scuba divers. Meanwhile, a recent study of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia found that the reef is worth more to the country as an intact ecosystem than an extractive reserve for fishing. Each year more than 1.8 million tourists visit the reef, spending an estimated AU$4.3 billion (Australian dollars) on reef-related industries from diving to boat rental to posh island resort stays. In the Caribbean, says UNEP, the net annual benefits from diver tourism was US$2 billion in 2000 with US$625 million spent directly on diving on reefs. Further, reef tourism is important source of employment, especially for some of the world's poorest people. UNEP says that of the estimated 30 million small-scale fishers in the developing world, most are dependent to a greater or lesser extent on coral reefs. In the Philippines, for example, more than one million small-scale fishers depend directly on coral reefs for their livelihoods. The report estimates that reef fisheries were worth between $15,000 and $150,000 per square kilometer a year, while fish caught for aquariums were worth $500 a kilogram against $6 for fish caught as food. The aquarium fish export industry supports around 50,000 people and generates some US$5.5 million a year in Sri Lanka alone.

D Unfortunately, coral reefs are dying around the world. In particular, coral mining, agricultural and urban runoff, pollution (organic and inorganic), disease, and the digging of canals and access into islands and bays are localized threats to coral ecosystems. Broader threats are sea temperature rise, sea level rise and pH changes from ocean acidification, all associated with greenhouse gas emissions. Some current fishing practices are destructive and unsustainable. These include cyanide fishing, overfishing and blast fishing. Although cyanide fishing supplies live reef fish for the tropical aquarium market, most fish caught using this method are sold in restaurants, primarily in Asia, where live fish are prized for their freshness. To catch fish with cyanide, fishers dive down to the reef and squirt cyanide in coral crevices and on the fast-moving fish, to stun the fish making them easy to catch. Overfishing is another leading cause for coral reef degradation. Often, too many fish are taken from one reef to sustain a population in that area. Poor fishing practices, such as banging on the reef with sticks (muro-ami), destroy coral formations that normally function as fish habitat. In some instances, people fish with explosives (blast fishing), which blast apart the surrounding coral.

E Tourist resorts that empty their sewage directly into the water surrounding coral reefs contribute to coral reef degradation. Wastes kept in poorly maintained septic tanks can also leak into surrounding ground water, eventually seeping out to the reefs. Careless boating, diving, snorkeling and fishing can also damage coral reefs. Whenever people grab, kick, and walk on, or stir up sediment in the reefs, they contribute to coral reef destruction. Corals are also harmed or killed when people drop anchors on them or when people collect coral.

F To find answers for these problems, scientists and researchers study the various factors that impact reefs. The list includes the ocean's role as a carbon dioxide sink, atmospheric changes, ultraviolet light, ocean acidification, viruses, impacts of dust storms carrying agents to far flung reefs, pollutants, algal blooms and others. Reefs are threatened well beyond coastal areas. General estimates show approximately 10% of the world`s coral reefs are dead. About 60% of the world's reefs are at risk due to destructive, human-related activities. The threat to the health of reefs is particularly strong in Southeast Asia, where 80% of reefs are endangered.

G In Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and is the subject of much legislation, including a biodiversity action plan. Inhabitants of Ahus Island, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea, have followed a generations-old practice of restricting fishing in six areas of their reef lagoon. Their cultural traditions allow line fishing, but not net or spear fishing. The result is both the biomass and individual fish sizes are significantly larger than in places where fishing is unrestricted.

14
Geographical location of world’s coral reef
15
How does coral reef benefit economy locally
16
The statistics of coral reefs economic significance
17
The listed reasons for declining number of coral reef
18
Physical approach to coral reef by people
19
Unsustainable fishing methods are applied in regions of the world
20
Coral reefs provide habitat to variety of marine life.
- TRUE. TRUE
- FALSE. FALSE
- NOT GIVEN. NOT GIVEN
21
Coral reef distribute around the ocean disproportionally.
22
Coral reef is increasingly important for scientific purpose.
23
Coral reefs are greatly exchanged among and exported to other counties.
24
Reef tourism is of economic essence generally for some poor people.
25
As with other fishing business, coral fishery is not suitable to women and children
26
What is the main purpose of the this passage
- A. Demonstrate how coral reef grow in the ocean
- B. To tell that coral reef is widely used as a scientific project
- C. Present the general benefits and an alarming situation of coral reef
- D. To show the vital efforts made to protect coral reef in Australia

Reading Passage 3: Neanderthal Technology

We think of our prehistoric ancestors as people of the ice and snow, living in caves, and for many of the West European Neanderthalers that is just a picture of their life. But where there were no caves, further to the east on the Russian steppe, for example, open-air sites with some sort of constructed shelter were the only option.

We now know much more about the cave sites than the open-air ones because, historically, it was the cave sites of Western Europe that were first explored by archaeologists and also because open-air sites are harder to find – many of them have disappeared under deep mud deposits or under the rising postglacial seas. Caves, moreover, aid the survival of archaeological material and can preserve the records of remote millennia.

In south-west France, the limestone caves of the Périgord region made ideal homes for the Neanderthal people. There were good supplies of flint to hand for axes and the like, and the caves were often sited in small river valleys that offered protection against the worst of the weather. The Neanderthalers liked south-facing caves, for obvious reasons of sunshine and wind avoidance, and caves at some height above the valley floor offered refuge from floods and good game-watching vantage points.

The Périgord region during the last ice age was, in fact, an exceptionally benign habitat for humans. It enjoyed a rather maritime climate with cooler summers that permitted the extension of tundra and steppe over its higher plateaux, and its year-round high levels of sunshine favoured the growth of the ground plants needed by reindeer, bison and horse. Winters were mildish for the ice age, animals never needed to migrate far from summer to winter, and men never needed to travel far from home to find abundant supplies of meat.

In Central and Eastern Europe, where caves are less readily available, such open-air sites as have been discovered were mostly located near water: bottom-land was a good area to be for people and animals, and also because the sedimentation pattern of lakes and stream courses has aided archaeological preservation – whereas erosion has presumably blown away sites which were out in the open. Some of the open-air sites in Germany, Central Europe and Russia have provided valuable information about Neanderthal man and his way of life. From Moldova, for example, comes evidence that has been interpreted as the remains of wind-breaks, or even a large tent-ring, up to about 8 x 5 m in size, of mainly mammoth bones enclosing a dense concentration of stone tools, animal bones and ash.

From the West European caves more evidence of built structures is available, and some of it goes back a long way in time. In the Grotte du Lazaret, near Nice, at a date during the last ice age but one, claims for some sort of skin tent within the cave have been advanced, on the basis of arrangements of large stones out from the cave wall that might have supported timber struts for a covering of skins up to the rock face above.

At Lazaret, what might be openings in the hypothesised tents seem to point away from the cave mouth, and finds of wolf and fox foot bones, without the rest of the skeletons, inside these ‘tents’ have been thought to indicate the use of animal pelts as bed coverings. The two patches of ash at Lazaret that mark ancient fires, with stone tools around them evidently made and used on the spot, are edged with small marine mollusc shells, prompting the excavator to suggest that seaweed had been used as bedding around the fires. The cave of Baume-Bonne in the Basses-Alpes region of France, another early site, boasts ten square metres of cobbles brought up from the local river and laid down, as though to take care of a puddle area in the cave, with the smoothest and roundest surfaces of the stones uppermost, and there are other similar cases.

The ash encountered in concentrations at some sites testifies to the Neanderthal people’s use of fire: not surprising, since use of fire was, by Neanderthal times, an already ancient accomplishment of evolving humanity, and survival in the sub-arctic conditions faced by the Neanderthalers is inconceivable without control of fire. Fire gave warmth, light, heat for cooking and defence against predatory animals. A charred piece of birch from Krapina in Croatia is thought to be the remains of a fire-making twirl stick. But Neanderthal hearths, in the sense of specially constructed places for fire, are fewer and harder to identify with certainty than the mere ash piles that are a regular feature of their sites. They seem often to have just lit a small fire (40–50 cm across) on the existing ground surface of the cave, without preparation. Judging from the shallow penetration of heat effects under the ash, this fire was only of short duration. Sometimes the fires were larger in size, up to one metre across, and quite irregular in shape. It is not always easy to decide how much additional structure some fires possessed: claims of stone circles to contain the fire run up against the fact that stones tend to litter the cave floors everywhere and those around a fire can quite accidentally look as though they were arranged in a circle.

27
Section A
- i. Evidence of outdoor dwellings
- ii. Learning to make fire
- iii. A perfect place to live
- iv. Examining the cave contents
- v. Contrasting two types of home
- vi. A vital source of power
28
Section B
29
Section C
30
Section D
31
Section E
32
a burnt piece of wood
33
evidence of efforts to prevent pools of water forming
34
the remains of sea creatures
35
a circular arrangement of animal bones
36
evidence suggesting the use of animal fur for warmth
37
The use of fire: Neanderthalers could not have survived without fire because the conditions they lived in were ________.
38
Most evidence of purpose-built fires takes the form of ash piles, features of which suggest that the fires lasted a ________ time.
39
It is hard to be certain about the size and structure of the fires, though they were certainly needed to protect the occupants from dangerous ________, among other things.
40
The purpose of the writer of this article is to
- A. argue that Neanderthal homes were bigger than originally thought.
- B. explain why Neanderthal people migrated to Western Europe.
- C. discuss what is known about Neanderthal settlements.
- D. track the progress of early Neanderthal development.

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Hiện đáp án

1. iv
Option iv is correct because Paragraph A talks about an ancient invention (rockets) and connects it to the future, saying it is related to future technology.
2. vii
Option vii fits Paragraph B as it discusses the history of space development in Asia, mentioning past achievements.
3. iii
Option iii is correct because Paragraph C describes how competition has pushed Asian countries to innovate in space technology.
4. ii
Option ii matches Paragraph E, which discusses the unbalanced development of space technology, highlighting gaps and challenges.
5. ix
Option ix is correct as Paragraph F explains how some countries gain a competitive edge by making satellite technology more economically feasible.
6. F
F is correct because the passage says remote-photographic technology is used to help with disasters like bush fires in Southeast Asia. Option B is tempting but the main reason given is disaster response.
7. B
B is correct because the passage says satellite technology is used in medicine to help with health care, such as telemedicine or disease tracking.
8. D
D is correct because the passage explains that Asian countries' satellite technology is limited due to influences from other social factors, not just technology or economics.
9. A
A is correct because the passage says satellites are used in agriculture to help manage crops and improve farming.
10. FALSE
FALSE is correct because the passage does not say ancient China used rockets for military purposes as early as 500 years ago; it may mention rockets, but not specifically for military use at that time.
11. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not mention whether space technology has improved literacy in Asia.
12. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says satellite photos help predict and monitor natural disasters, which is prevention and surveillance.
13. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says commercial competition helps boost Asian technology development.
14. A
A is correct because the passage describes where the world’s coral reefs are located geographically.
15. C
C is correct because the passage explains how coral reefs help the local economy, such as through tourism and fishing.
16. C
C is correct because the passage gives statistics about the economic importance of coral reefs.
17. D
D is correct because the passage lists reasons why the number of coral reefs is declining, such as pollution and overfishing.
18. E
E is correct because the passage talks about how people physically access coral reefs, such as for tourism or fishing.
19. D
D is correct because the passage says unsustainable fishing methods are used in some regions, harming coral reefs.
20. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says coral reefs provide homes for many kinds of marine life.
21. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says coral reefs are not spread evenly around the oceans.
22. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say if coral reefs are becoming more important for science.
23. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not mention if coral reefs are exported or exchanged between countries.
24. TRUE
TRUE is correct because the passage says reef tourism is important for the economy, especially for poor people.
25. NOT GIVEN
NOT GIVEN is correct because the passage does not say if coral fishery is unsuitable for women and children.
26. C
C is correct because the main purpose is to show both the benefits of coral reefs and the problems they face.
27. v
v is correct because Section A contrasts two types of homes, comparing caves and outdoor dwellings.
28. iii
iii is correct because Section B describes a perfect place to live, focusing on the advantages of caves.
29. i
i is correct because Section C gives evidence that people lived outside, not just in caves.
30. iv
iv is correct because Section D examines the contents found in caves.
31. vi
vi is correct because Section E discusses fire as a vital source of power for Neanderthals.
32. E
E is correct because a burnt piece of wood is evidence of fire use, which is discussed in Section E.
33. D
D is correct because evidence of efforts to prevent pools of water forming is found in Section D, where they talk about cave floor modifications.
34. C
C is correct because the remains of sea creatures are mentioned in Section C as part of the food remains.
35. B
B is correct because a circular arrangement of animal bones is described in Section B, showing how people organized their living space.
36. C
C is correct because evidence suggesting the use of animal fur for warmth is found in Section C, where they mention animal skins.
37. sub-arctic
'sub-arctic' is correct because the passage says Neanderthals needed fire to survive in very cold, sub-arctic conditions.
38. short
'short' is correct because the passage says most ash piles show that fires lasted only a short time.
39. predatory animals
'predatory animals' is correct because the passage says fires were needed to protect people from dangerous animals.
40. C
C is correct because the writer’s purpose is to discuss what is known about Neanderthal settlements, not to argue about their size, migration, or development.

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Reading Passage 1: Satellite Technology

Reading Passage 2: Coral Reefs

Reading Passage 3: Neanderthal Technology

Phiếu trả lời

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