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Reading answers with explanations

IELTS · Part 1 · Cambridge 12 — Test 1

Cork: Reading answers

Answers to questions 1–13 (13 in all), each with why it is right.

Sit it first, then check

Read the whole passage and answer in the exam interface, timed as on the day.

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The passage opens

Cork - the thick bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber) - is a remarkable material. It is tough, elastic, buoyant, and fire-resistant, and suitable for a wide range of purposes. It has also been used for millennia: the ancient Egyptians sealed then sarcophagi (stone coffins) with cork, while the ancient Greeks and Romans used it for anything from beehives to sandals. And the cork oak itself is an extraordinary tree. Its bark grows up to 20 cm in thickness, insulating the tree like a coat wrapped around the trunk and branches and keeping the inside at a constant 20°C all year round. Developed most probably as a defence against forest fires, the bark of the cork oak has a particular…

Answers 1–13

  1. 1

    The cork oak has the thickest bark of any living tree.

    NOT GIVEN True / False / Not Given

  2. 2

    Scientists have developed a synthetic cork with the same cellular structure as natural cork.

    FALSE True / False / Not Given

  3. 3

    Individual cork oak trees must be left for 25 years between the first and second harvest.

    FALSE True / False / Not Given

  4. 4

    Cork bark should be stripped in dry atmospheric conditions.

    TRUE True / False / Not Given

  5. 5

    The only way to remove the bark from cork oak trees is by hand.

    TRUE True / False / Not Given

  6. 6

    taste Note completion

  7. 7

    cheaper Note completion

  8. 8

    convenient Note completion

  9. 9

    image Note completion

  10. 10

    sustainable Note completion

  11. 11

    recycled Note completion

  12. 12

    biodiversity Note completion

  13. 13

    desertification Note completion

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