Academic-Test-2-Passage-1 by libardo gonzalez alvarez

Academic Test 2

READING PASSAGE 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

A Race Against the Wind A.

In 1948, when 20-year-old American Newman Darby first attached a sail to his small catamaran, all he wanted to do was create a craft which he could direct by shifting its moveable mast from a standing position. The result was the world’s first sailboard. Little did Darby know that his invention would set off huge trend decades later, nor that ‘windsurfers’, as they came to be known, would go on to break the world wind-powered speed record …four times! And as sailing technology continues to change, we are seeing more and more innovations from every corner of the globe resulting in more world records.

Harnessing the power of wind may seem to modern mariners to be perfect common sense. Yet it is estimated that humans have only been sailing for about seven thousand years. Canoes and kayaks predate sailing vessels by many millennia, scientists having uncovered evidence of the use of simple boats as far back as 130,000 years. But these vessels were powered by human energy and hence limited in their capacity for speed and distance. The addition of a sail to a traditional hull1 afforded humans increased speed and easier travel over long distances, allowing them to travel, trade and catch fish far from home.

Speed on the water has traditionally been a matter of survival, such as in the case of an attack or retreat during a naval battle, or the pursuit of sea animals for food. However, in recent decades, increasing attention has surrounded the race for the world wind-powered speed record over 500 metres and, more recently, one nautical mile (approximately 1.85 kilometres) – For no other reason than to see who is the fastest on the water! The race gathered momentum in the late twentieth century, after Tim Colman of Great Britain showed the world that a speed of 26 knots2 was achievable. Since then, media attention has continued to grow and the race has captured the hearts of both sailing enthusiasts and engineers.

Boats which have successfully broken the record in recent years have included monohulls3, multihulls4, hydrofoils and boats with solid ‘wingsails’. However, most surprising is the see-sawing of record holders between these expensive, highly-engineered concept boats and the humble windsurfer. For a number of years it seemed that every time a team invented a faster sailing boat to reclaim the record, another windsurfer would simply rig up and sail a bit faster. The advent of kite surfing has added yet another element to the race, and Robert Douglas (USA) rode his board at 55.65 kts over a distance of 500 metres. However, while it may be possible for kite boarders to sustain high speeds over a short distance, the records at longer distances are currently in the hands of larger boats.

At the time of writing, the wind-powered speed record over a nautical mile is held by French skipper Alain Thébault in his craft, L’hydroptere, maintaining an average speed of 51.36 knots (95 km/h) over a nautical mile. The most striking thing about this craft is its design. As L’hydroptere leaves port, it may look like an ordinary multihull. However, when the boat begins to speed up, it quite literally lifts up out of the water, to sail on three hydrofoils. Hydrofoils are horizontal planes under the water, attached to

the boat’s keels. At a sufficiently high speed, the hydrofoils lift the entire boat above the water line, significantly reducing drag and allowing the boat to rapidly accelerate to much higher speeds.

During the race for wind-powered speed records through the twentieth century, arguably the most significant milestone in sailing evolution was reached – The speeds achieved by contenders began to outrun the wind speed itself. L’hydroptere’s current record of over 50 knots was set in a 30-knot wind. Granted that 30 knots of wind is more than enough to take your hat off, the thought of a sailing vessel almost doubling the speed of the wind that powers it might seem unfathomable. The secret is in the way wind actually propels sail craft. Sail craft are not merely ‘pushed along’ by the wind: If this were true, boats would only be able to travel directly away from the wind. In fact, modern craft can travel in almost any direction except directly upwind. Their propulsion occurs as a result of a pressure differential between the two sides of the sail, as well as the variation between the moving air above and the water below, which exhibits relatively less motion. In essence, the hull or hulls ‘grip’ the water as air accelerates across the sail, causing the vessel to move forward.

And if you think the speeds above are frighteningly fast, the competition gets even faster on land. A British engineer by the name of Richard Jenkins broke the wind-powered speed record on land in 2009, clocking 202.9 km/h in a three-wheeled wind-powered concept vehicle named ‘Greenbird’. Not only is this phenomenal speed a wind-powered record, it is also the fastest speed achieved by a human in a naturally-powered vehicle. As the world begins to look for new energy resources to power our modern lifestyles, perhaps we should all look to the wind! 1. hull – the (hollow) main part of a boat which floats on the water and carries crew, passengers and cargo 2. knot – a measure of speed, equivalent to one nautical mile per hour (1.852km/h) 3. monohull – a boat with only one hull 4. multihull – a boat with two or more hulls

Questions 1 – 6 Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A–G. Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A and C–G from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i–ix, in boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet.

List of headings i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix

Engineers achieve the highest success rates The physics of vessels that outpace the wind The origins of sailing Speed was once a matter of life and death A unique design that sparked a worldwide race Even more amazing speeds are achieved on solid ground The current record holder flies above the water Kite and wind surfers versus concept boats: a close competition Widespread excitement surrounds the race for the speed record

Paragraph A

Example Paragraph B 2 3 4 5 6

Answer iii

Paragraph C Paragraph D Paragraph E Paragraph F Paragraph G

Questions 7 – 11 Look at the statements below. Do they agree with the information in the article? Write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information in the passage FALSE if the statement contradicts the information in the passage NOT GIVEN if the statement neither agrees nor directly contradicts the information in the passage 7 8 9 10 11

Scientists lack proof to substantiate early boat use. Sailing helped to increase economic activity between distant groups of people. Windsurfers and kite surfers hold more world records than concept boats. L’hydroptere looks like a normal boat when it is sailing. It is possible for a sailing vessel to travel faster than the wind speed.

Questions 12 – 13 Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. 12 13

In which direction are modern sail craft unable to travel? According to the author, what energy source might be a valuable resource in the future?

Looking for answers? www.ieltsreadingpractice.com/answers-academic