IELTS Reading Practice: Alternative Transportation (Full Answer Key & Explanations)

Transportation and the environment are two essential topics in the IELTS exam. The reading passage “Alternative Transportation” is an excellent study resource; it not only helps you practice your Reading skills but also provides valuable ideas for Writing Task 2 essays regarding solutions to urban pollution.

In this article, the ECE language center provides the full reading passage, a bilingual translation, vocabulary analysis, and detailed explanations for the answers to help you master the material with ease.

Reading Passage & Questions

Alternative Transportation

A. Transportation is a major issue in urban areas around the world. Rising fuel costs, environmental problems, and traffic-clogged roads are some of the concerns that have led people to consider alternative forms of transportation.

B. Fuel-efficient cars and cars that run on alternative sources of energy are receiving increasing interest as people become more concerned about the costs of using gasoline. These costs include not only the ever-increasing price of filling up a car’s fuel tank but also the environmental costs of emitting huge amounts of car exhaust into the atmosphere. Climate change is an issue of global concern. Closer to home, cities have to consider the effects on the health of their citizens. Car emissions have been linked to a range of health problems, particularly respiratory problems. For example, studies have linked childhood asthma and stunted lung growth to exposure to car exhaust in the air. Research has also made connections between car emissions and heart disease, certain cancers, and immune system problems.

C. The popularity of smaller, more fuel-efficient cars is on the rise. Hybrid vehicles are also becoming more common. These cars have two engines – one that is battery-powered and one that is gasoline-powered. The battery-powered engine gets the car moving from a standstill. Once the car reaches a certain speed, the gasoline engine, which is more efficient at higher speeds, takes over to keep the car moving. There is also a growing interest in cars that are completely battery-powered. These are cars that would be plugged into an electric outlet to recharge when not in use. Many consider such vehicles to be the car of the future. However, as long as the electricity is generated by coal-burning plants, as is often the case, these cars cannot be considered as using clean energy. Solar cars and hydrogen cars are other “clean technologies” that are receiving attention and hopes for the future.

D. Car emissions are the most serious source of concern, but the sheer number of vehicles on the road – over 250 million in the United States alone and over one billion worldwide – has other repercussions, as well. The roads and highways that are built to accommodate the growing number of cars in use are a source of pollution themselves. Ground that is covered with pavement cannot absorb rainwater, thus motor oil and other pollutants are washed off the roads and into lakes, rivers, and the ocean. Chemicals, herbicides, concrete, asphalt, paint, and other materials that are used during road construction also contribute to environmental pollution.

E. Personal convenience and health are also affected. While private cars are seen as a convenient way to get from place to place, crowded roads mean traffic moves much more slowly, making it difficult to travel, especially during “rush hour” periods. And people who spend hours each day sitting in cars stuck in traffic are not standing up, moving around, or getting any sort of exercise, a situation that can lead to a variety of health problems.

F. Thus, in addition to developing passenger cars that run on alternative sources of fuel, we also need to look at alternative forms of transportation. These would include walking, bicycle riding, carpooling, and various types of public transportation. The benefits of walking and cycling are obvious. They cause no pollution and improve physical health. Car pools – several people sharing a ride in a private car – mean fewer cars on the road and allow the riders to share the expenses involved. Public transportation – buses, subways, commuter trains – has many benefits, as well. For one, it may provide users with opportunities for physical exercise as people have to get from their homes to the bus stops and train stations, and this is often done on foot. There are also mental health benefits, as relaxing on a train or bus while reading the newspaper or listening to music is a good deal less stressful than driving one’s own car through rush hour traffic. All of these forms of transportation decrease the number of cars on the roads and greatly reduce emissions. Looking toward the future, cities need to pay as much attention, or more, to public transportation and to accommodating walkers and cyclists as they do to building roads and accommodating drivers of passenger cars.

Questions 1 – 5

The list below shows some problems that are associated with the use of private cars.

Which FIVE of these problems are mentioned in the article?

A. Social isolation

B. High maintenance costs

C. Air pollution

D. Noise pollution

E. Traffic congestion

F. Stress

G. Lack of parking space

H. Rising price of gasoline

I. Reduced opportunities for physical exercise

Questions 6 – 13

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the passage? In boxes 6 – 13 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

6. Car emissions can contribute to illnesses of the respiratory system.

7. Cars are the largest source of environmental pollution in the modern world.

8. People are becoming more interested in hybrid cars.

9. Electric cars don’t pollute the environment.

10. Solar-powered cars are currently too expensive for the average person to own.

11. Roads and highways contribute to water pollution.

12. Bicycle riding has health benefits.

13. Car pools can reduce individuals’ transportation costs.

Summary of the Reading Passage

The passage discusses urban transportation issues and the need to seek alternative modes of transport:

1. Current issues (Paragraphs A, B, D, E): Rising fuel costs, environmental pollution (exhaust fumes causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases), traffic congestion, and negative health impacts due to a lack of physical activity. Additionally, road construction also contributes to water pollution.

2. Technological solutions (Paragraph C): The trend toward fuel-efficient cars, hybrid vehicles, electric cars, and the future potential of solar/hydrogen energy. However, electric cars still indirectly cause pollution if the electricity is generated from coal.

3. Alternative transport methods (Paragraph F): Encouraging walking, cycling, carpooling, and public transportation. These methods not only reduce emissions and traffic congestion but also improve the physical and mental health of citizens.

Key Vocabulary Summary

Answers and Detailed Explanations

Questions 1 – 5 (Multiple Selection)

1. C (Air pollution)

Evidence: Paragraph B mentions “emitting huge amounts of car exhaust into the atmosphere.”

2. E (Traffic congestion)

Evidence: Paragraph A mentions “traffic-clogged roads.” Paragraph E mentions “traffic moves much more slowly.”

3. F (Stress)

Evidence: Paragraph F compares taking a train/bus as being “a good deal less stressful than driving one’s own car.” This implies that driving one’s own car causes stress.

4. H (Rising price of gasoline)

Evidence: Paragraph A begins with “Rising fuel costs.” Paragraph B mentions the “increasing price of filling up a car’s fuel tank.”

5. I (Reduced opportunities for physical exercise)

Evidence: Paragraph E states that people sitting in cars “are not standing up, moving around, or getting any sort of exercise.”

(Note: Options A, B, D, G are not mentioned in the passage. For example, the passage mentions “fuel costs” but not “maintenance costs”; it mentions pollution but not “noise pollution.”)

Questions 6 – 13 (Yes/No/Not Given)

6. YES

• Question: Car emissions can contribute to illnesses of the respiratory system.

• Explanation: Paragraph B: “Car emissions have been linked to… particularly respiratory problems.”

7. NOT GIVEN

• Question: Cars are the largest source of environmental pollution in the modern world.

• Explanation: Paragraph D states “Car emissions are the most serious source of concern,” BUT the passage does not compare this to other sources of pollution (such as factories, industrial waste, etc.) to confirm it is the “largest source of environmental pollution in the modern world.” Therefore, the answer is Not Given.

8. YES

• Question: People are becoming more interested in hybrid cars.

• Explanation: Paragraph C: “Hybrid vehicles are also becoming more common.”

9. NO

• Question: Electric cars don’t pollute the environment.

• Explanation: Paragraph C refutes this: “as long as the electricity is generated by coal-burning plants… these cars cannot be considered as using clean energy.”

10. NOT GIVEN

• Question: Solar-powered cars are currently too expensive for the average person to own.

• Explanation: Paragraph C only mentions that “Solar cars… are receiving attention,” but does not mention their price or affordability for the average person.

11. YES

• Question: Roads and highways contribute to water pollution.

• Explanation: Paragraph D: “motor oil and other pollutants are washed off the roads and into lakes, rivers, and the ocean.”

12. YES

• Question: Bicycle riding has health benefits.

• Explanation: Paragraph F: “The benefits of walking and cycling are obvious… improve physical health.”

13. YES

• Question: Car pools can reduce individuals’ transportation costs.

• Explanation: Paragraph F: “allow the riders to share the expenses involved.”

The reading passage “Alternative Transportation” provides a comprehensive look at the reality of urban transportation and potential solutions. This passage is not overly difficult in terms of grammar, but it requires a good vocabulary regarding environmental issues to identify paraphrased information in the questions.

We hope this detailed explanation from the ECE language center has helped you understand the logic behind each answer. Don’t forget to note down new vocabulary to apply to your Writing Task 2! Best of luck with your studies!