Contoh Soal IELTS Reading Berserta Kunci Jawabannya

A Global Warning

1. The Stern Review Report on The Economics of Climate Change, published in 2006, the same year as Al Gore’s highly-acclaimed film and book, An Inconvenient Truth, made it clear that governments need to take the issue of global warming very seriously indeed. The Stern Review examined the issue of climate change from an economic perspective, looking at what it would cost the government to take appropriate action, and what it would cost if appropriate action were not taken. The report also highlighted a number of catastrophes that would occur if urgent measures were not taken to stop the carbon dioxide production that is heating up the planet. The report indicates that in the last 200 years, average temperatures on the planet have increased by less than one degree Celsius; however, if we do not control the rising carbon dioxide levels over the next 100 years, a rise of up to five degrees Celsius can be expected. This will have an enormous impact on global economic growth and will cause many potentially disastrous changes, including the following:
2. Melting glaciers–Beginning in the Andes, and then extending to the huge glaciers of the Himalayas, the ice will begin to disappear, threatening the water supply of billions of people. Sea levels will also rise, flooding huge areas of the world, including cities such as London and Tokyo.
3. Melting ice sheets—Not only will glaciers melt, but as the planet warms up, the huge Antarctic Ice Sheets and the floating sea ice of the Arctic will begin to melt, again resulting in catastrophic rises in sea levels. It is estimated that Arctic summers will be ice-free within 10 years, and the landscapes of the Antarctic will change beyond recognition by 2050. The vast ice plains of Greenland are also under threat.
4. The acidity resulting from the huge amounts of CO2 that the oceans will absorb will lead to the extinction of hundreds of species as marine ecosystems are destroyed; this will also threaten the fishing industry as thousands of millions of fish die off. This in turn will destroy the livelihood of thousands of fishing communities that depend on already overfished coastal areas.
5. Accompanying the floods will be an increasing occurrence of droughts, with a decrease of up to 30% in water availability in Africa, and similar decreases in Australia. This will, of course, result in crop failure and malnutrition the world over. It will also lead to an increase in disease, particularly in tropical regions. Large cities in dry regions will find it increasingly difficult to provide enough water for their populations.
6. Hurricanes, cyclones and tidal waves–Both Al Gore’s book and the Stern Review indicate that if global temperatures continue to rise, we can expect a greater number of extreme weather phenomena, of an increased severity. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the United States in 2005, is cited as just one example of the kind of environmental and economic havoc that will result from unchecked global warming. Typhoons, which often cause extensive flooding, are becoming more frequent and devastating in South East Asia.
7. Up to 50% of animal and plant species on the planet, beginning with those living in fragile environments such as coral reefs, tropical rainforest and alpine tundra, will become extinct. Climate change will eventually affect every ecosystem on the planet as temperatures increase, rainforest is destroyed and sea levels rise, leading to flooding and drought. The impact on ecosystems will be so dramatic that they will never recover from the damage caused by rising temperatures.
8. Does all this sound too depressing even to contemplate? Well, don’t despair: if you are optimistic by nature, there are two approaches to tackling the problem of global warming you could take.
9. The first approach is to begin to act locally to do your bit to reduce CO2 emissions and minimise pollution, at the same time hoping that governments will listen to the recommendations of the Stern Review, which, while recognising the seriousness of the threat, clearly indicates that if action is taken now, the right balance between economic growth and environmental conservation may be achieved. The Report is significant, both in its scope and its depth, and it does offer a positive outcome that allows economic growth to continue–so perhaps this will convince governments to take the action necessary to save the planet from environmental and economic disaster.
10. The second approach you could take, if you wish to remain optimistic, is to disregard the warnings of Al Gore, the Stern Review team and other like-minded harbingers of doom, and instead opt for the much more positive and less dramatic stance taken by a very different group of scientists and economists. With its nominal leader the Danish economist, Bjorn Lomborg, the Omgivelse group believes that many of the predictions of the environmentalists are hugely exaggerated. Like Stern, Lomborg takes a pragmatic economic approach to the environmental situation and argues for investment in environmental research and development, rather than ‘quick-fix’ measures that would not, he claims, solve the problem. With significantly less investment than that recommended in the Kyoto Accord or by the Stern Review Report, Lomborg believes the planet can be saved.

Digital Photography Courses

The Department of Media Design offers digital photography courses to all first-year students. The courses are offered at two levels.

Digital Photography Level 1 is a 20-hour course aimed at students with little or no experience of digital photography, and is designed to teach the essentials of digital photography to people at beginner level. Course participants will learn about digital camera settings and modes, image file types and sizes, and image manipulating software.

Digital Photography Level 2 is a 30-hour course aimed at people with some experience and knowledge of the subject. Participants who wish to enrol on the course should be familiar with digital camera settings and modes and Adobe Photoshop@ software. The course covers advanced camera settings which include exposure, flash compensation and shutter speeds. Participants will also learn advanced image processing techniques and principles of photo composition and photo image printing. At the end of the course, participants are expected to submit a project portfolio.

Qualified trainers, graduates of the Media Studies Department who are all experienced professional photographers working full-time in the media industry, will be delivering the course to four groups of maximum 10 participants each.

How to enrol

You can leave the application form at the main desk at Lincoln Library or fill it in online at www. digiphoto.uk.edu/application. Tuition is free and applications are open to all first-year students; second- and third-year students enrolled in Marketing or Web Design courses can also apply. To qualify for a place, you must attach a photocopy of your student ID card to the application.

Participants are expected to use their own digital cameras, but each participant will have access to a university computer. The courses run every month three times a week for four weeks, starting the second week of Semester One. The classes are held in the Lincoln Library Learning Centre.

University students who successfully complete the course can earn five credits towards their degree if the course is part of their degree programme. Students who take the course outside the required degree programme can take a final test and will be awarded a certificate. Participants wishing to take the test will be charged £10 for the certificate at the beginning of the course.

For more information, please visit www.digiphoto.uk.edu/courses or call the Lincoln Library Main Desk 3498876 Ext. 401.

1. The course is aimed at

1. only Media Design students.
2. all second-year students.
3. all first-year students.
4. only second- and third-year students.

2. Students who wish to enrol in the Level 2 course need to

1. have their own computer.
2. have some knowledge of digital cameras.
3. know the principles of photo composition.
4. show a project portofolio.

3. All course trainers

1. teach Media Studies at the university.
2. studied at the university.
3. have taught the courses before.
4. work full-time at the university.

Do the following statement agree with the information given in the reading passage? Next to Questions 4 – 8, write

• TRUE, if the statement is true according to the passage.
• FALSE, if the statement is false according to the passage.
• NOT GIVEN, if the information is not given in the passage.

4. You can fill in the application electronically. ………

5. Applicants must buy a course book. ………

6. Digital cameras and computers will be provided by the university. ………

7. The courses run only in Semester One. ………

8. Every student who successfully completes the course can earn credits towards his/her degree. ………