Roman Tunnels IELTS Reading: Translation & Answer Key

Throughout ancient history, the Romans were renowned for their ability to assimilate and refine the technological innovations of the civilizations they conquered. The IELTS Reading passage Roman Tunnels offers a fascinating technical insight into how Roman engineers adapted the Persian qanat method and developed the counter-excavation technique to cut through rugged mountain ranges. These impressive engineering feats served vital roles in aqueducts networks and mining operations while shaping durable road systems that endured for centuries. For IELTS test-takers, this Passage 1 text is an ideal practice resource to secure a top score, offering clear keyword-matching mechanics while challenging candidates to analyze technical diagrams (Diagram Labeling) and process quantitative data efficiently.

Reading Passage

The Romans, who once controlled areas of Europe, North Africa and Asia Minor, adopted the construction techniques of other civilizations to build tunnels in their territories.

The Persians, who lived in present-day Iran, were one of the first civilizations to build tunnels that provided a reliable supply of water to human settlements in dry areas. In the early first millennium BCE, they introduced the qanat method of tunnel construction, which consisted of placing posts over a hill in a straight line, to ensure that the tunnel kept to its route, and then digging vertical shafts down into the ground at regular intervals. Underground, workers removed the earth from between the ends of the shafts, creating a tunnel. The excavated soil was taken up to the surface using the shafts, which also provided ventilation during the work. Once the tunnel was completed, it allowed water to flow from the top of a hillside down towards a canal, which supplied water for human use. Remarkably, some qanats built by the Persians