Reading Test 1 Section 1 (The Ozone Layer)
Section: Reading Test 1 Section 1 (The Ozone Layer)

Reading Test 1 Section 1

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Tests on TheEnglishLink.com are similar in format to the actual IELTS exam.  Like the IELTS, you must answer ALL the questions on this test, then click Save Answers to view your score.

You should spend 20 minutes on this test section.  The timer shows how much time you have used.  The test will not stop when the timer runs out.  You can take as much time as you need.

An IELTS Reading test has 3 sections.  Each reading passage is around 700 words and is followed by 13 or 14 questions.

 

First, you will see an article like this one.  You should not read the whole reading passage.  Just skim and scan to find the answers.  When you have answered ALL of the 14 questions that follow this article, click Save Answers to view your score.


Section 1
Questions 1 – 14

The Ozone Layer

Section 1
1         Ozone is a light blue gas that is poisonous to humans even in very small amounts.  It is produced by electrical discharges and has a distinctive, strong odour.  Lightning produces ozone naturally and high-voltage electrical equipment can produce ozone artificially.  Ozone can also arise at ground level as an emission of chemical reactions involving sunlight acting on pollution.  Ozone is utilised commercially as a bleaching agent and as a germicide to sterilise drinking water and swimming pools.

 

        In the atmosphere, ozone is essential to our well-being.  It exists mainly in the stratosphere, and to a lesser extent in the troposphere and mesosphere, providing the earth with a layer of protection against the dangerous ultraviolet rays of the sun.  Without the protective ozone layer, the ultraviolet rays would kill most life on Earth.

 

3         Ozone is also a form of oxygen, the gas that gives life to all living things on our planet.  Molecules of oxygen contain two atoms while molecules of ozone contain three atoms.  This crucial difference is the deciding factor between life and death; oxygen gives life, but the inhalation of a small trace of ozone would be enough to kill any living being.  That being said, ozone has also been connected to the emergence of life on Earth because its ingredients so closely resemble oxygen’s life-giving recipe.

 

4         Earth’s atmosphere is like a warm, protective blanket shielding us from dangerous rays, holding oxygen and heat within it, and maintaining the delicate balance of conditions perfect for life and growth as we know it.  Alarmingly, as the ozone layer is depleted and the hole expands, the balance of life-sustaining conditions may begin to unravel.  Scientists are concerned about the effects these changes will have on the conditions which, so far, have allowed life on Earth to develop and thrive.  It is entirely possible that even minor changes to temperature, atmospheric conditions and radiation will have radical effects on all life on Earth.

 

5         In the 1970s, scientists began linking the hole in the ozone layer to the increasing number of skin cancer cases.  Human life, and in fact all life on earth, is particularly sensitive to the ultraviolet radiation known in scientific circles as UV-B, also called “biologically active” ultraviolet radiation.  UV-B radiation is most intense on mountaintops where there is less troposphere to absorb it and in tropical zones where the sun is at its most intense.  UV-B causes sunburn in the short-term, and for those who undergo long-term exposure or repeated sunburn, it can cause malignant melanoma, an often fatal form of skin cancer.

 

6         By comparing cancer statistics from different regions, scientists have calculated the risks of UV-B radiation, reporting the following estimations.  For every two percent decrease in the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere, there would be a ten percent increase in the number of non-malignant cases of skin cancer in the United States alone – around 25,000 more cases than are currently being reported.  Also, for the more distressing and serious cases of malignant melanoma, a two percent increase in different types of ultraviolet radiation would lead to a two percent increase in the mortality rate.

 

7         The incidence of skin cancer has been increasing in all countries around the world in the last several decades.  Scientists believe there are several reasons for the increase.  Firstly, as discussed, the depletion of ozone in the stratosphere and troposphere layers of the atmosphere has increased the amount of ultraviolet radiation, a direct cause of skin cancer. 

 

8         Secondly, in Western countries, fashion trends in the last few decades dictated that tanning the skin was beautiful and looked “healthy.” Therefore, more people have been prolonging their exposure to direct sunlight and voluntarily increasing their risk of skin cancer.  Two hundred years ago in England during the Victorian period, it was highly unfashionable to have tanned skin.  Peasants who toiled in the fields had tanned skin while "refined" ladies and gentlemen cultivated a pale, milky complexion.  This reason, and of course the modern propensity to reveal more skin area, have both contributed to the increase in skin cancer.

 

        The third reason that more people are contracting skin cancer is the simple reason that people are living longer lives.  Skin cancer is a disease that is often causes by repeated and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight, so it may take years for the damage to take effect.  Several hundred years ago, most people did not live past their forties or fifties and were therefore likely to die of other causes before skin cancer could develop.  Our longevity, therefore, has also caused the number of reported cancer cases to increase.

 

10        It is becoming increasingly clear that the ozone layer of our atmosphere which, from afar, may appear as a layer of poison within our atmosphere, is in fact partly responsible for life on earth.  It would be wise to protect it in order to protect ourselves and the future generations of our species.

 

Questions 1-14:

 

Each section of the test includes directions.  Always read the directions!  The directions look like this:

Questions 1 – 6
Choose the most suitable heading for each of the paragraphs in the Reading Passage. Paragraph 1 has been done for you as an example.

NOTE: There are more heading than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.  You may use each heading only once.

For this type of question, the list of headings looks like this:              

LIST OF HEADINGS

i                 Ozone and Oxygen

ii               Statistical Comparisons

iii             Mountaintops are Deadly

iv              Our Layer of Protection

v                Longevity Leads to More Cancer Cases

vi               Fashion Trend Risky

vii             British People were Healthier in Victorian Times

viii            Appearance, Production and Use

ix               Ozone Hole Linked to Cancer

x                The Mortality Rate

This example shows you what to do.

Example:                        Answer

Paragraph 1                     viii

The best title for Paragraph 1 is Appearance, Production and Use (viii) because those three topics are discussed in Paragraph 1.

Now answer Question 1.  Choose the best heading for Paragraph 2.



 
 
 

To select your answers to Questions 1-8, click on a red button.  When the answer you have chosen is yellow, you are ready to move on to the next question.

 
 
1
View Paragraph

Question 1)  Click on the best heading for Paragraph 2.

To jump back up to Paragraph 2, click on the box next to VIEW PARAGRAPH.  The answer to this question will be found in one of the paragraphs that appears in the drop box.  To keep the article open while you take the test, click on OPEN ARTICLESize the box so you can read through the article as you progress through the questions.

i) Ozone and Oxygen
iv) Our Layer of Protection
v) Longevity Leads to More Cancer Cases
vi) Fashion Trend Risky
 
 

In this practice test, we have given only 4 Heading choices in each answer to make the test slightly easier as you practice.

 
 
2
View Paragraph

Question 2)   Click on the best heading for Paragraph 3.

i) Ozone and Oxygen
ii) Statistical Comparisons
iv) Our Layer of Protection
ix) Ozone Hole Linked to Cancer
 
 

The first sentence of a paragraph often outlines the main idea.

 
 
3
View Paragraph

Question 3)   Click on the best heading for Paragraph 5.

iii) Mountaintops are Deadly
iv) Our Layer of Protection
ix) Ozone Hole Linked to Cancer
x) The Mortality Rate
 
 

When you are finished taking the test, click Save Answers to see your score and the correct answers.

 
 
4
View Paragraph

Question 4)   Click on the best heading for Paragraph 6.

ii) Statistical Comparisons
v) Longevity Leads to More Cancer Cases
vii) British People Were Healthier in Victorian Times
x) The Mortality Rate
 
 

A Heading identifies the main idea of a paragraph.

 
 
5
View Paragraph

Question 5)   Click on the best heading for Paragraph 8.

ii) Statistical Comparisons
vi) Fashion Trend Risky
vii) British People Were Healthier in Victorian Times
viii) Appearance, Production and Use
 
 

You can pause tests, leave the website, and return to them later by clicking Pause Test at the bottom of the page.

 
 
6
View Paragraph

Question 6)   Click on the best heading for Paragraph 9.

ii) Statistical Comparisons
iii) Mountaintops are Deadly
iv) Our Layer of Protection
v) Longevity Leads to More Cancer Cases
 
 

Read questions carefully and try not to spend more than 1 minute on any one question.

 
 
7
View Paragraph

Questions 7 - 8

Reading Passage: "The Ozone Layer" has ten paragraphs (1 - 10).  Click on the most suitable answer (A - D) to complete the sentences below.

7)   The reading passage is mainly about:

A) the difference between ozone and oxygen
B) the troposphere and mesosphere depletion
C) the dangers of an expanding hole in the ozone layer
D) the drastic changes to life-sustaining conditions on Earth
 
8
View Paragraph

8)   Paragraph 4 is mainly about:
A) atmospheric conditions
B) concern over the delicate balance of conditions ideal for sustaining life
C) the development of new life forms on Earth
D) the unravelling hole
 
 

Type your answers to questions 9-14 in the blue boxes.

 
 
9
View Paragraph

Questions 9 – 14

Choose one phrase (A – J) from the list of phrases to complete each key point below. 

Type the appropriate letter (A – J) in the blue boxes.
NOTE: You may use any phrase more than once.

LIST OF PHRASES

 . . . could have devastating effects.
B   . . . tanned.
C   . . . tropical zones.
D   . . . lightning.
E   . . . is negligible.
F   . . . ten percent increase in the mortality rate.
G   . . . two percent increase in the mortality rate.
H   . . . high-voltage electrical equipment.
I    . . . is a deciding factor between life and death.
J    . . . pale.

9        One natural producer of ozone is . . . __________

9
 
 

Make sure you type the LETTER of the phrase, not the PHRASE itself.

 
 
10
View Paragraph

10      The difference between ozone and
               oxygen . . . ____________

10
 
11
View Paragraph

LIST OF PHRASES

 . . . could have devastating effects.
B   . . . tanned.
C   . . . tropical zones.
D   . . . lightning.
E   . . . is negligible.
F   . . . ten percent increase in the mortality rate.
G   . . . two percent increase in the mortality rate.
H   . . . high-voltage electrical equipment.
I    . . . is a deciding factor between life and death.
J    . . . pale.

11      Even small changes in atmospheric conditions
           and temperature . . . _________

11
 
12
View Paragraph

12      The sun is strongest in . . . ____________

12
 
 

Use grammatical clues to help you match the sentence parts, as well as vocabulary and meaning.

 
 
13
View Paragraph

LIST OF PHRASES

 . . . could have devastating effects.
B   . . . tanned.
C   . . . tropical zones.
D   . . . lightning.
E   . . . is negligible.
F   . . . ten percent increase in the mortality rate.
G   . . . two percent increase in the mortality rate.
H   . . . high-voltage electrical equipment.
I    . . . is a deciding factor between life and death.
J    . . . pale.

13      A ten percent increase in ultraviolet
           radiation would lead to a . . . ________

13
 
 

This type of question is asking you to find specific information from the reading passage.

 
 
14
View Paragraph

14      Women who lived during the Victorian period
              in Britain preferred to have skin
              that was . . .

14
 
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