Can We Hold Back The Flood? - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Past Papers Academic Reading Test 16 · Part 1 · Questions 1–13
Reading Passage
Read the text below and answer questions 1-13.
Can We Hold Back the Flood?
A LAST winter's floods on the rivers of central Europe were among the worst since the Middle Ages, and as winter storms return, the spectre of floods is returning too. Just weeks ago, the river Rhone in south-east France burst its banks, driving 15,000 people from their homes, and worse could be on the way. Traditionally, river engineers have gone for Plan A: get rid of the water fast, draining it off the land and down to the sea in tall-sided rivers re-engineered as high-performance drains. But however big they dig city drains, however wide and straight they make the rivers, and however high they build the banks, the floods keep coming back to taunt them, from the Mississippi to the Danube. And when the floods come, they seem to be worse than ever.
B No wonder engineers are turning to Plan B: sap the water's destructive strength by dispersing it into fields, forgotten lakes, flood plains and aquifers. Back in the days when rivers took a more tortuous path to the sea, flood waters lost impetus and volume while meandering across flood plains and idling through wetlands and inland deltas. But today the water tends to have an unimpeded journey to the sea. And this means that when it rams in the uplands, the water comes down all at once. Worse, whenever we close off more flood plain, the river’s flow farther downstream becomes more violent and uncontrollable. Dykes are only as good as their weakest link - and the water will unerringly find it.
C Today, the river has lost 7 per cent of its original length and runs up to a third faster. When it rains hard in the Alps, the peak flows from several tributaries coincide in the main river, where once they arrived separately. And with four-fifths of the lower Rhine's flood plain barricaded off, the waters rise ever higher. The result is more frequent flooding that does ever-greater damage to the homes, offices and roads that sit on the flood plain. Much the same has happened in the US on the mighty Mississippi, which drains the world's second largest river catchment into the Gulf of Mexico.
D The European Union is trying to improve rain forecasts and more accurately model how intense rains swell rivers. That may help cities prepare, but it won't stop the floods. To do that, say hydrologists, you need a new approach to engineering not just Environment Agency - country £1 billion - puts it like this: "The focus is now on working with the forces of nature. Towering concrete walls are out, and new wetlands are in." To help keep London's upstream and reflooding 10 square k outside Oxford. Nearer to London it has spent £100 million creating new wetlands and a relief channel across 16 kilometres.
E The same is taking place on a much grander scale in Austria, in one of Europe's largest river restorations to date. Engineers are regenerating flood plains along 60 kilometres of the river Drava as it exits the Alps. They are also widening the river bed and channelling it back into abandoned meanders, oxbow lakes and backwaters overhung with willows. The engineers calculate that the restored flood plain can now store up to 10 million cubic metres of flood waters and slow storm surges coming out of the Alps by more than an hour, protecting towns as far downstream as Slovenia and Croatia.
F "Rivers have to be allowed to take more space. They have to be turned from flood-chutes into flood-foilers," says Nienhuis. And the Dutch, for whom preventing floods is a matter of survival, have gone furthest. A nation built largely on drained marshes and seabed had the fright of its life in 1993 when the Rhine almost overwhelmed it. The same happened again in 1995, when a quarter of a million people were evacuated from the Netherlands. But a new breed of "soft engineers" wants our cities to become porous, and Berlin is theft governed by tough new rules to prevent its drains becoming overloaded after heavy rains. Harald Kraft, an architect working in the city, says: "We now see rainwater as giant Potsdamer Platz, a huge new commercial redevelopment by DaimlerChrysler in the heart of the city.
G Los Angeles has spent billions of dollars digging huge drains and concreting river beds to carry away the water from occasional intense storms. "In LA we receive half the water we need in rainfall, and we throw it away. Then we spend hundreds of millions to import water," says Andy Lipkis, an LA environmentalist who kick-started the idea of the porous city by showing it could work on one house. Lipkis, along with citizens groups like Friends of the Los Angeles River and Unpaved LA, want to beat the urban flood hazard and fill the taps by holding onto the city's flood water. And it's not just a pipe dream. The authorities this year launched a $100 million scheme to road-test the porous city in one flood-hit community in Sun Valley. The plan is to catch the rain that falls on thousands of driveways, parking lots and rooftops in the valley. Trees will soak up water from parking lots. Homes and public buildings will capture roof water to irrigate gardens and parks. And road drains will empty into old gravel pits and other leaky places that should recharge the city's underground water reserves. Result: less flooding and more water for the city. Plan B says every city should be porous, every river should have room to flood naturally and every coastline should be left to build its own defences. It sounds expensive and utopian, until you realise how much we spend trying to drain cities and protect our watery margins - and how bad we are at it.
Questions
Questions 1–6 Matching Information
The reading Passage has seven paragraphs A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information?
Questions 7–11 Summary Completion
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage, using no more than two words from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Flood makes river shorter than it used to be, which means faster speed and more damage to constructions on flood plain. Not only European river poses such threat but the same things happens to the powerful 7 in the US.
In Europe, one innovative approach carried out by UK's Environment Agency, for example a wetland instead of concrete walls is generated not far from the city of 8 to protect it from flooding. In 1995, Rhine flooded again and thousands of people left the country of 9. A league of engineers suggested that cities should be porous, 10 set an good example for others. Another city devastated by heavy storms casually is 11, though its government pours billions of dollars each year in order to solve the problem.
Questions 12–13 Two Choices
Choose TWO correct letter.
What TWO benefits will the new approach in the UK and Austria bring to US according to this passage?
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | D | Nearer to London it has spent £100 million creating new wetlands and a relief channel across 16 kilometres | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that close to London (in the UK), £100 million was spent to build new wetlands and an extra channel for flood water to follow. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies Paragraph D as the section describing a new flood-management method implemented in the United Kingdom. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because this paragraph details the UK's Environment Agency shifting towards working with nature rather than relying on tall concrete walls. It gives specific UK examples, mentioning flood protection efforts around Oxford and London, such as reflooding land, creating new wetlands, and building a relief channel with a £100 million investment. |
| Q2 | B | Back in the days when rivers took a more tortuous path to the sea, flood waters lost impetus and volume while meandering across flood plains and idling through wetlands and inland deltas. But today the water tends to have an unimpeded journey to the sea. And this means that when it rams in the uplands, the water comes down all at once. Worse, whenever we close off more flood plain, the river’s flow farther downstream becomes more violent and uncontrollable. Dykes are only as good as their weakest link - and the water will unerringly find it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in the past, twisty and winding river routes helped slow down and spread out water. Today, rivers flow straight and fast, causing uncontrollable flooding, and flood walls called dykes fail because water will always break through their weakest spots. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that Paragraph B is the section of the text that discusses the issues with straightening rivers and the weakness of dykes in controlling floodwaters. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Paragraph B discusses how rivers used to take a 'tortuous path' (a twisty, winding route) which slowed down water, but modern changes have made the water flow too fast and violently. It also directly explains why dykes fail to prevent floods by stating that 'dykes are only as good as their weakest link - and the water will unerringly find it.' |
| Q3 | G | Plan B says every city should be porous, every river should have room to flood naturally and every coastline should be left to build its own defences. It sounds expensive and utopian, until you realise how much we spend trying to drain cities and protect our watery margins - and how bad we are at it | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that this alternative plan (Plan B) to let cities absorb water naturally might seem too idealistic and unrealistic (utopian), but traditional methods already cost huge amounts of money and fail to work well. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Paragraph G describes a new, alternative method for managing water in Los Angeles (LA) that might seem impractical or unrealistic at first. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is G because this paragraph specifically focuses on Los Angeles (LA) and introduces a new strategy ("Plan B" / the "porous city") to capture and reuse rainwater instead of washing it away. The text notes that people might think this alternative idea is an unrealistic fantasy by referring to it as a "pipe dream" and noting that "It sounds expensive and utopian". In this context, "utopian" and "pipe dream" serve as direct synonyms and indicators for something that seems "unrealistic". |
| Q4 | A | Traditionally, river engineers have gone for Plan A: get rid of the water fast, draining it off the land and down to the sea in tall-sided rivers re-engineered as high-performance drains | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in the past, engineers usually managed floods by trying to quickly send water off the land and into the sea through specially shaped rivers. Answer Explanation: The answer is A because paragraph A explains the old, traditional method that engineers used to deal with floodwater. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the text in this paragraph directly introduces the customary method used by builders in the past. It uses the keyword "Traditionally" and describes "Plan A", which involved removing water as quickly as possible by draining it into deep, straightened rivers and big city drains. |
| Q5 | F | And the Dutch, for whom preventing floods is a matter of survival, have gone furthest. A nation built largely on drained marshes and seabed had the fright of its life in 1993 when the Rhine almost overwhelmed it. The same happened again in 1995, when a quarter of a million people were evacuated from the Netherlands. But a new breed of "soft engineers" wants our cities to become porous, and Berlin is theft governed by tough new rules to prevent its drains becoming overloaded after heavy rains | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that people in the Netherlands (the Dutch) have worked the hardest to protect against floods, and Berlin (in Germany) has set strict rules to keep heavy rains from overwhelming city drains. Answer Explanation: The answer states that Paragraph F contains information about the actions taken to manage floodwaters and rainwater in the Netherlands and Germany. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because this paragraph discusses water management efforts in both countries. For the Netherlands, the text mentions "the Dutch" and the "Netherlands", explaining how they have done the most to prevent floods. For Germany, it mentions its capital, "Berlin", where strict new rules and soft engineering methods are used to stop city drains from overflowing during heavy rainfall. |
| Q6 | E | The same is taking place on a much grander scale in Austria, in one of Europe's largest river restorations to date. Engineers are regenerating flood plains along 60 kilometres of the river Drava as it exits the Alps. They are also widening the river bed and channelling it back into abandoned meanders, oxbow lakes and backwaters overhung with willows. The engineers calculate that the restored flood plain can now store up to 10 million cubic metres of flood waters and slow storm surges coming out of the Alps by more than an hour, protecting towns as far downstream as Slovenia and Croatia | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that a huge river restoration project on the Drava River in Austria helps hold back floodwaters, which protects communities in Austria and in two other countries downstream: Slovenia and Croatia. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies Paragraph E as the section that talks about a river restoration project helping three different countries. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because this paragraph describes a major river restoration project along the river Drava in Austria. The text explains that this project protects towns in Austria as well as places further down the river in Slovenia and Croatia, which totals three nations. |
| Q7 | Mississippi | Much the same has happened in the US on the mighty Mississippi, which drains the world's second largest river catchment into the Gulf of Mexico | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that the exact same river and flooding issues occurring in Europe are also happening in the United States along the mighty Mississippi River. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the Mississippi River, a very large and powerful river located in the United States. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by Paragraph C, which discusses how rivers become shorter, faster, and cause more flood damage. The text points out that a similar situation occurs in the United States with the "mighty Mississippi". Here, the word "mighty" directly matches the summary's word "powerful". |
| Q8 | London | Nearer to London it has spent £100 million creating new wetlands and a relief channel across 16 kilometres | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that close to London, £100 million was used to make new wetland areas and an extra water channel over a distance of 16 kilometres. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to London, a major capital city in the United Kingdom where wetlands were built nearby to help prevent flooding. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed by Paragraph D. The summary discusses an innovative approach by the UK's Environment Agency, where wetlands are created instead of concrete walls. The text explains that close to London, money was spent to build new wetlands and a relief channel to help manage flood waters. Therefore, "London" correctly fills the blank describing the city near which the wetland was built. |
| Q9 | The Netherlands | The same happened again in 1995, when a quarter of a million people were evacuated from the Netherlands | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that in 1995, around 250,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the Netherlands because of flooding from the river Rhine. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the European country from which 250,000 residents had to be evacuated due to major flooding along the Rhine in 1995. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by Paragraph F. The summary refers to the Rhine flooding again in 1995 and thousands of people leaving a particular country. Paragraph F directly notes: "The same happened again in 1995, when a quarter of a million people were evacuated from the Netherlands." Here, "evacuated" corresponds to people leaving. |
| Q10 | Berlin | But a new breed of "soft engineers" wants our cities to become porous, and Berlin is theft governed by tough new rules to prevent its drains becoming overloaded after heavy rains | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that modern engineers want cities to absorb water easily (be porous), and Berlin follows strict regulations to stop its drains from being flooded by heavy rain. Answer Explanation: The answer "Berlin" refers to the major European city mentioned as an example of making urban areas porous to prevent drains from overflowing during heavy rainfall. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "Berlin" because the summary discusses the idea of engineers making cities "porous" and setting an example with rules to stop flooding. In Paragraph F, the passage states that a new group of engineers wants cities to be porous, and specifically mentions Berlin having strict new rules to keep its drainage system from being overwhelmed after heavy storms. |
| Q11 | Los Angeles / LA | Los Angeles has spent billions of dollars digging huge drains and concreting river beds to carry away the water from occasional intense storms | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that the city of Los Angeles has spent billions of dollars building massive drainage systems to clear water from strong, occasional storms. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the city of Los Angeles (or LA), which spends huge sums of money building large drains to deal with sudden heavy storms. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by Paragraph G, which explains that Los Angeles has spent billions of dollars constructing large drains and paving river beds to manage water from occasional intense storms. In the summary, "devastated by heavy storms casually" matches the text's mention of "occasional intense storms", and "pours billions of dollars each year in order to solve the problem" matches "spent billions of dollars digging huge drains". Therefore, the missing city name is "Los Angeles" or "LA". |
| Q12 | — | — | |
| Q13 | B / D | That may help cities prepare, but it won't stop the floods. To do that, say hydrologists, you need a new approach to engineering The engineers calculate that the restored flood plain can now store up to 10 million cubic metres of flood waters and slow storm surges coming out of the Alps by more than an hour, protecting towns as far downstream as Slovenia and Croatia |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that while forecasting helps cities get ready, stopping the flood requires a new engineering method. It also shows that the restored flood plains can hold large amounts of water to protect towns located downstream. Answer Explanation: The answer choices B and D mean that the new engineering method can help prevent flooding across the wider region and can hold back water to keep towns located further down the river safe. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B and D because the passage discusses how a new approach is required to actually stop flooding rather than just preparing for it. In Austria and the UK, this new method of restoring flood plains allows millions of cubic metres of water to be stored (reserved) and slows down storm surges, which directly protects towns situated downstream (such as in Slovenia and Croatia). Key terms to notice include "stop the floods" corresponding to "new approach to engineering", and "store up to 10 million cubic metres of flood waters" corresponding to "Reserve water to protect downstream towns". |