The Earth and Space Foundation Reading Answers
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The Earth and Space Foundation Reading Answers topic comprise 14 questions. It is an IELTS reading answers topic. This topic has been taken from the book: “Complete IELTS Bands 6.5-7.5 Student's Pack”. The topic: The Earth and Space Foundation Reading Answers is the last part of the reading section. The candidates must analyse the IELTS reading passage attentively to look for keywords. The Earth and Space Foundation Reading Answers measure the candidates’ efficiency in reading. The IELTS Reading practice papers consist of more similar topics which will help the candidates to become familiar with the topics.
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Section 1
Read the passage to answer the following questions
The Earth and Space Foundation Reading Answers
The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been different from the community focused on the study and protection of the Earth's environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be referred to as "scientific exploration'. The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly historical. The exploration of the Earth has been occurring over many centuries, and the institutions created to do it are often very different from those founded in the second part of the 20th century to explore space. This separation is also caused by the fact that space exploration has attracted experts from mainly non-biological disciplines - primarily engineers and physicists - but the study of Earth and its environment is a domain heavily populated by biologists.
The separation between the two communities is often reflected in attitudes. In the environmental community, it is not uncommon for space exploration to be regarded as a waste of money, distracting governments from solving major environmental problems here at home. In the space exploration community, it is not uncommon for environmentalists to be regarded as introspective people who divert attention from the more expansive visions of the exploration of space - the ‘new frontier’. These perceptions can also be negative in consequence because the full potential of both communities can be realised better when they work together to solve problems. For example, those involved in space exploration can provide the satellites to monitor the Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists can provide information on the survival of life in extreme environments.
In the sense that Earth and space exploration both stem from the same human drive to understand our environment and our place within it, there is no reason for the split to exist. A more accurate view of Earth and space exploration is to see them as a continuum of exploration with many interconnected and mutually beneficial links. The Earth and Space Foundation, a registered charity, was established for the purposes of fostering such links through field research and by direct practical action.
Projects that have been supported by the Foundation include environmental projects using technologies resulting from space exploration: satellite communications, GPS, remote sensing, advanced materials and power sources. For example, in places where people are faced with destruction of the forests on which their livelihood depends, rather than rejecting economic progress and trying to save the forests on their intrinsic merit, another approach is to enhance the value of the forests - although these schemes must be carefully assessed to be successful. In the past, the Foundation provided a grant to a group of expeditions that used remote sensing to plan eco-tourism routes in the forests of Guatemala, thus providing capital to the local communities through the tourist trade. This novel approach is now making the protection of the forests a sensible economic decision.
The Foundation funds expeditions making astronomical observations from remote, difficult-to-access Earth locations, archaeological field projects studying the development of early civilisations that made significant contributions to astronomy and space sciences, and field expeditions studying the way in which views of the astronomical environment shaped the nature of past civilisations. A part of Syria - ‘the Fertile Crescent’ - was the birthplace of astronomy, accountancy, animal domestication and many other fundamental developments of human civilisation. The Foundation helped fund a large archaeology project by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Syrian government that used GPS and satellite imagery to locate mounds, or ’tels’, containing artefacts and remnants of early civilisations. These collections are being used to build a better picture of the nature of the civilisations that gave birth to astronomy.
Field research also applies the Earth’s environmental and biological resources to the human exploration and settlement of space. This may include the use of remote environments on Earth, as well as physiological and psychological studies in harsh environments. In one research project, the Foundation provided a grant to an international caving expedition to study the psychology of explorers subjected to long-term isolation in caves in Mexico. The psychometric tests on the cavers were used to enhance US astronaut selection criteria by the NASA Johnson Space Center.
Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to operate in the space environment or help us characterise extraterrestrial environments for future scientific research. In the Arctic, a 24-kilometrewide impact crater formed by an asteroid or comet 23 million years ago has become home tc a Mars- analogue programme. The Foundation helped fund the NASA Haughton-Mars Project to use this crater to test communications and exploration technologies in preparation for the human exploration of Mars. The crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an excellent replica of the physical processes occurring on Mars, a permafrosted, impact-altered planet. Geologists and biologists can work at the site to help understand how impact craters shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential of Mars.
In addition to its fieldwork and scientific activities. the Foundation has award programmes. These include a series of awards for the future human exploration of Mars, a location with a diverse set of exploration challenges. The awards will honour a number of ‘firsts’ on Mars that include landing on the surface, undertaking an overland expedition to the Martian South Pole, undertaking an overland expedition to the Martian North Pole, climbing Olympus Mons, the highest mountain in the solar system, and descending to the bottom of Valles Marineris, the deepest canyon on Mars. The Foundation will offer awards for expeditions further out in the solar system once these Mars awards have been claimed. Together, they demonstrate that the programme really has no boundary in what it could eventually support, and they provide longevity for the objectives of the Foundation.
Section 2
Solution and Explanation
Questions 28-32:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?
In boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet write:
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
- Activities related to environmental protection and space exploration have a common theme.
Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: The community that focuses its efforts on the exploration of space has largely been different from the community focused on the study and protection of the Earth's environment, despite the fact that both fields of interest involve what might be referred to as "scientific exploration”.
Keyword: both fields of interest, scientific exploration.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph,1st sentence.
Explanation: The 1st paragraph states that protection related to the environment of Earth and space exploration are involved in a common theme “scientific exploration”. Therefore, the statement holds the correct facts as described in the passage. Hence the answer will be YES since it agrees with the views of the author.
- It is unclear why space exploration evolved in a different way from environmental studies on Earth.
Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: The reason for this dichotomous existence is chiefly historical.
Keyword: dichotomous existence, chiefly historical, very different.
Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, 2nd-3rd sentence.
Explanation: The passage clearly states that exploration of the Earth is very different from space exploration. The reason behind this dichotomous existence of environmental studies and space exploration is historical. Therefore, the answer will be NO since the statement opposes the views of the author.
- Governments tend to allocate more money to environmental projects than space exploration.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage does not depict anything about the money allocation by the government. There is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the government intends to pay more for operating the environmental projects than exploring the space. Therefore, the answer will be NOT GIVEN since it is not possible to predict what the author feels about this.
- Unfortunately, the environmental and space exploration communities have little to offer each other in terms of resources.
Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: For example, those involved in space exploration can provide the satellites to monitor the Earth’s fragile environments, and environmentalists can provide information on the survival of life in extreme environments.
Keyword: provide the satellites, provide information.
Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 5th sentence.
Explanation: The passage states that the exploration of space offers satellites to monitor the fragile environments of the Earth. Moreover, environmentalists offer information to promote the survival of life in severe environments. Therefore, the statement contradicts the views of the author. Hence the answer will be NO.
- The Earth and Space Foundation was set up later than it was originally intended.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The passage does not provide any information about the setting up of the Earth and Space Foundation. There is nowhere mentioned in the passage that the Earth and Space Foundation was established later than it was intended to be set up. Therefore, it is not possible to express what the writer feels about this. Hence the statement is irrelevant in relation to the content of the passage.
Questions 33-36:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
In boxes 33 - 36 on your answer sheet write A, B, C or D.
- What was the significance of the ’novel approach' adopted in the Guatemala project?
- It minimised the need to protect the forests.
- It reduced the impact of tourists on the forests.
- It showed that preserving the forests can be profitable.
- It gave the Foundation greater control over the forests.
Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: For example, in places where people are faced with destruction of the forests on which their livelihood depends, rather than rejecting economic progress and trying to save the forests on their intrinsic merit, another approach is to enhance the value of the forests - although these schemes must be carefully assessed to be successful.
Keyword: enhance the value of the forests, a sensible economic decision.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 2nd-last sentence
Explanation: The paragraph depicts the novel approach that has been adopted in the Guatemala project. The approach has been taken with the motive to improve the significance of forests. The project intends to preserve the forests and believes that it would be a reasonable decision to empower economic growth. Therefore, option C is the correct answer as it satisfies the content stated in the passage.
- GPS and satellite imagery were used in the Syrian project to
- help archaeologists find ancient items.
- explore land that is hard to reach.
- reduce the impact of archaeological activity.
- evaluate some early astronomical theories.
Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: The Foundation helped fund a large archaeology project by the Society for Syrian Archaeology at the University of California, Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Syrian government that used GPS and satellite imagery to locate mounds, or ’tels’, containing artefacts and remnants of early civilisations.
Keyword: artefacts, remnants of early civilisations.
Keyword Location: 5th paragraph, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The author has said that in collaboration with the Syrian government, GPS and satellite images were used to locate mounds or ’tels’. These mounds or ‘tels’ hold the artefacts and remnants of early civilisations. These are used to create a better picture of archaeological history.
- One of the purposes of the Foundation’s awards is to
- attract non-scientists to its work.
- establish priorities for Mars exploration.
- offer financial incentives for space exploration.
- establish the long-term continuity of its activities.
Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: they provide longevity for the objectives of the Foundation.
Keyword: Award programme, human exploration, provide longevity.
Keyword Location: 8th paragraph, 4th and 5th sentence
Explanation: The foundation has organized several award functions for human explorations. It is believed that these awards will encourage more such expeditions to Mars. In a way, it will help the Foundation to provide longevity for the objectives that they have set out.
- What is the writer’s purpose in the passage?
- to persuade people to support the Foundation
- to explain the nature of the Foundation’s work
- to show how views on the Foundation have changed
- to reject earlier criticisms of the Foundation’s work
Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Projects that have been supported by the Foundation include environmental projects using technologies resulting from space exploration: satellite communications, GPS, remote sensing, advanced materials and power sources.
Keyword: supported by the Foundation, environmental projects, space exploration.
Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, First sentence
Explanation: The purpose of this passage is to provide a brief on the different scientific research processes operated by the Foundation. The author mentioned that the Foundation supports several projects that include environmental projects. It uses technologies resulting from space explorations i.e satellite communications and the use of advanced materials and power sources. It also provides funds for the protection of forests. Hence, this passage may be considered an overview of the nature of the Foundation’s work.
Questions 37- 41:
Complete the summary using the words, A-l, below.
Field research: Applying the Earth's environment to the settlement of space Some studies have looked at how humans function in 37 ..................... situations.
In one project, it was decided to review cave explorers in Mexico who tolerate 38 ..................... periods on their own.
It is also possible to prepare for space exploration by studying environments on Earth that are 39 ..................... to those on Mars.
A huge crater in the Arctic is the 40 ..................... place to test the technologies needed to explore Mars and gather other relevant 41 ..................... information.
- comparable
- extreme
- connected
- ideal
- unexpected
- beneficial
- scientific
- extended
- individual
Question 37:
Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: This may include the use of remote environments on Earth, as well as physiological and psychological studies in harsh environments.
Keyword: environmental and biological resources, harsh environments
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 2nd sentence.
Explanation: The author describes that in general, field research tries to understand the function of humans under different environmental circumstances. These studies try to explore human nature and psychology by applying biological resources in extreme environmental conditions. Hence, “Extreme” is the correct word to fill in the blank mentioned in the question.
Question 38:
Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: In one research project, the Foundation provided a grant to an international caving expedition to study the psychology of explorers subjected to long-term isolation in caves in Mexico.
Keyword: grant, caving expedition, long-term isolation
Keyword Location: 6th paragraph, 3rd sentence.
Explanation: As a part of research work, it has been tried to explore the psychological pattern of some cave explorers. They are on an international caving expedition in Mexico for a long period of time. Hence, a grant has been provided to understand the mental state of the explorers' after the long-term isolation during the expedition.
Question 39:
Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Space-like environments on Earth help us understand how to operate in the space environment or help us characterize extraterrestrial environments for future scientific research.
Keyword: space-like environment, future scientific research, how to operate
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, First sentence.
Explanation: Scientific research on space often requires training in a space-like environment. Therefore, the artificial creation of a space-like environment on Earth helps to understand the operational process in extraterrestrial environments. Hence, it is a good way to prepare for space exploration by studying environments on Earth that are similar to or comparable to Mars.
Question 40:
Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: The crater, which sits in high Arctic permafrost, provides an excellent replica of the physical processes occurring on Mars, a permafrosted, impact-altered planet.
Keyword: Crater, high Arctic permafrost, excellent replica
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, 4th sentence.
Explanation: The author has mentioned that the crater is quite ideal to be considered as a replica of the physical process occurring on Mars. It is situated in high arctic permafrost and makes it a perfect training environment for impact-altered planets such as Mars.
Question 41:
Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Geologists and biologists can work at the site to help understand how impact craters shape the geological characteristics and possibly biological potential of Mars.
Keyword: High Arctic permafrost, geological characteristics, biological potential
Keyword Location: 7th paragraph, Last sentence.
Explanation: As per the view of the author the crater is quite ideal to be considered as a replica of the physical process occurring on Mars. It is situated in high arctic permafrost and makes it a perfect training environment for impact-altered planets such as Mars. With the help of geologists and biologists, this site can be prepared as an ideal scenario to gather scientific information on the biological potential of Mars.
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