Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 459
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 459 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST
READING PASSAGE – 2
The Changing Landscape of Oceania
A – The human settlement of Oceania, from the earliest migrations to European colonization, has reshaped the physical landscape of this region. Environmental degradation – disturbances to resources like air, land, and water – is a serious concern as economic growth often comes at the expense of environmental sustainability. In Australia, for example, wide stretches of previously sparsely inhabited Outback have become grazing lands. In Papua New Guinea illegal logging has contributed to significant deforestation. Pollution from dairying in New Zealand has led to high levels of water pollution.
B – Invasive species have also had significant environmental impacts in a region that has been otherwise relatively isolated. Australia has adopted a system of strict quarantine in an attempt to limit damage from non-native plants and animals. The country currently spends around $4 billion yearly in invasive weed management alone. Cats have been banned in parts of New Zealand where they pose a threat to local bird species. Rats brought by early European ships have presented a significant problem for many islands of the Pacific, where they kill other plants and animals and also spread disease. Offshore, invasive fish and algae species have damaged fragile ocean ecosystems.
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C – In addition to local pollution concerns, human settlement of other world regions has contributed to pollution in the Pacific Ocean. Worldwide, there are five main ocean gyres, large systems of rotating ocean currents. In the northern Pacific Ocean, one gyre has very high concentrations of trash and plastics carried to the area by ocean currents. It has been termed the Great Pacific garbage patch. When you throw something “away” improperly, these gyres are really where “away” is. A water bottle improperly disposed of on the western coast of North America will make its way to the Great Pacific garbage patch in around six years.
D – One issue with plastics is that they don’t biodegrade, and instead keep breaking down into smaller pieces while still remaining plastic. Fish and other marine life eat these tiny bits of plastic, which can disrupt a number of biological systems. Some of these fish species are then consumed by humans.
Because the Great Pacific garbage patch contains such small pieces of plastic, and most of the plastic is below the surface of the ocean, it is not easily visible with the naked eye and it is difficult to estimate its size. Some have theorized the patch is as big as or bigger than the US state of Texas, while others note that the idea of a “patch” of garbage is really a misnomer as there are concentrations of trash throughout the world’s oceans.
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E – Trash from other world regions also washes up along the shores of the Pacific islands. Kamilo Beach in Hawaii is the site of a significant amount of plastic that has washed ashore from the Great Pacific garbage patch, so much so that the area has been nicknamed “Plastic Beach”. Though the shoreline looks sandy, 90 percent of it is actually bits of plastic and you would have to dig down at least one foot to reach grains of sand. Plastic trash litters many of the shorelines of the Pacific islands, presenting a hazard for marine life and a management and cleanup challenge since debris often comes from thousands of miles away.
F – It is changes in global climate, however, that pose the most sev ere environmental threat to Oceania. For many of the world’s regions, changes in climate are viewed as hypothetical. Hurricanes might increase in intensity. The risk of fire might increase. Changes in bird migrations in Europe and North America to shifts in global fish stocks have already been linked to increases in global temperature but with little direct effect on the human populations of these regions. In Oceania, though, small increases in temperature and ocean levels could have disastrous effects on already fragile ecosystems and economies.
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The Great Barrier Reef is currently experiencing periods of coral bleaching due to increasing ocean temperatures. When waters get too warm, coral experience “stress” and expel the colorful, algae-like organisms that live within them. Mass coral bleaching has occurred several times since the late 1990s and is expected to become a regular occurrence as ocean temperatures continue to rise. Coral bleaching has also been documented in other reefs, including ones in Hawaii.
Some of the leaders of the Pacific islands have been among the most vocal champions for global climate regulations. Speaking in 2015, the prime minister of Fiji, Frank Bainimarama did not mince words: “Unless the world acts decisively in the coming weeks to begin addressing the greatest challenge of our age, then the Pacific, as we know it, is doomed.” Fiji has already experienced an increase in infectious diseases related to higher temperatures, record-breaking high tides, and has had to relocate citizens due to rising ocean levels.
The rising oceans in the Pacific and the concentrations of pollution found in this region are stark reminders of our interconnected world. In many ways, the future of Oceania will be decided by the actions of global citizens and leaders.
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Questions 15-19
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage to answer the questions below.
15. According to the article, what environmental problem has been caused by the dairy industry in New Zealand?
16. What measure has been introduced in Australia to reduce problems caused by foreign animals and vegetation?
17. Approximately how long does it take for a piece of plastic rubbish to reach the Great Pacific garbage patch from the west coast of the USA?
18. What proportion of Kamilo Beach is comprised of plastic?
19. What problem is affecting coral reefs in Hawaii?
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Questions 20-24
Passage 2 has six sections labelled A-F.
Choose the correct headings for Sections B-F.
List of Headings
i. Beach garbage from far away
ii. Fish consumption
iii. How pollution from outside Oceania reaches the region
iv. Hypothesizing change
v. The effect of human migration on the region
vi. The extent of the plastic problem
vii. The impact of foreign wildlife on Oceania
viii. The serious danger posed by climate change
ix. The spread of Texan pollution
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20. Section B
21. Section C
22. Section D
23. Section E
24. Section F
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Questions 25-27
Choose the appropriate letters A, B, C or D
25. According to the text, the Great Pacific garbage patch
A. can be seen to consist mostly of plastic.
B. is known to be nearly as large as Texas.
C. is of an unknown size.
D. is believed by some to stretch to all the world’s oceans.
26. Coral
A. change their behaviour as a result of exposure to a certain amount of heat.
B. experienced mass bleaching regularly prior to the 1990s.
C. have undergone the most severe damage in Hawaii.
D. exist in the Great Barrier Reef due to increasing temperatures.
27. In Fiji,
A. diseases have meant that many people have needed to relocate.
B. higher sea levels have led to food shortages.
C. some citizens have been moved to other locations due to increasing sea levels.
D. most diseases involve fever as a principal symptom.
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ANSWERS
15. WATER POLLUTION
16. (STRICT) QUARANTINE
17. (AROUND) SIX/6 YEARS
18. NINETY PERCENT /90 PERCENT
19. CORAL BLEACHING
20. VII
21. III
22. VI
23. I
24. VIII
25. C
26. A
27. C
IELTS Academic Reading Test