2019年雅思阅读模拟试题(2)

2019年雅思阅读模拟试题(2) This reading test contains 11 questions. You should spend about 20 minuteson this task. To make it more authentic, download the test and do it with pen andpaper. Read the passage below and answer 11 questions. Section A Muynak used to be a port city. Inhabitants of Muynak, of which there arefewer and fewer, now pose for pictures next to ships which were once anchoredalong the shores of the Aral Sea, but are now stranded in an ocean of sand wherewater once was. These pictures are published in scientific journals andmagazines alongside desc riptions of how what was once the worlds fourth largestlake may disappear altogether by 2020. Section B The Aral Sea is located in the central Asian desert between Uzbekistan andKazakhstan. In 1960, it covered 68,000 km2, and its waters fed agricultureacross the region. By 1998, the area of the Aral Sea had shrunk to one third ofits previous size and has now become a symbol of how drastically humanactivities can adversely affect the environment, and how much this effect can,in turn, affect human activities. Section C The reason for this change is not exclusively due to man. Droughts in the1970s and 80s reduced the amount of water carried by the Amu Darya and the SyrDarya, two rivers which feed the sea. However, farming policies implementedduring the middle of the 20th century increased the farming of water-hungrycrops like cotton, and farmers used vast quantities of water from these tworivers to irrigate their land. The result of this was that very little water wasentering the Aral Sea, and it consequently began decreasing in volume. Section D Policy makers at the time were aware of the effect of diverting so muchwater for agriculture, but they saw it as an acceptable trade-off to improvingagricultural output, and thereby improving the economy. The sea itself was ofless importance to the progress of society than farming which could produce notonly crops for domestic use but commodities for trade. Section E They did not, however, anticipate all the effects that the drying of theAral Sea would have. The Aral Sea is a salt-water sea, and the salt left behindwhen the waters retreated has now blown away with wind and storms, makingpatches of land unsuitable for farming. This affects not only the surroundingregion, but lands as far as a thousand kilometers away. In addition, theremaining waters have become increasingly more concentrated in salt, and this iskilling off a once thriving fishing industry as it kills off the fishthemselves. The Aral Sea, like all large bodies of water, has a strong effect onlocal climate, and as it has disappeared, harvesting seasons have become shorterand dryer. Many farmers in the surrounding area have had to give up growingcotton because the growing season is not long enough for this crop. Section F The effect on inhabitants of the area is not limited to economics andproductivity. The health of those living in the area has deteriorated due to asupply of drinking water which has high concentrations of minerals. The area hasseen sharp jumps in the rates of cancer and respiratory illnesses. Section G There are compelling reasons to halt and try to reverse the fate of theAral Sea, but it would be difficult. The region, though weakened by worseningconditions, still depends on agriculture to survive, and there are noalternative sources of water. In the 1980s, it was proposed to divert water fromrivers far to the north in an effort to save the Aral Sea, and it might haveworked had the price of the project, an estimated $250 billion, not beenprohibitive. Questions The Reading Passage has seven sections, A-G. Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headingsbelow. Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet. List of Headings i) Man mostly to blame ii) Devastating outcomes iii) A port in a sea of sand iv) A lost cause v) The worlds fourth largest lake vi) A symbol of environmental disaster vii) A man-made disaster viii) A fair exchange? ix) Poisonous waters x) The problem of salt 1) Section A 2) Section B 3) Section C 4) Section D 5) Section E 6) Section F 7) Section G Do the following statements agree with the information given in ReadingPassage 1? On your answer sheet write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 8) The Amu Darya and the Syr Darya were not water sources before the 20thcentury. 9) The Aral Sea will be saved by diverting water from other rivers. 10) Many farmers have had to stop growing cotton and opt for other crop