The Exploration of Mars IELTS Reading: Translation & Answer Explanations

Humanity’s journey to explore Mars is one of our greatest historical chapters, evolving from romanticized visions of irrigation canals to modern robotic rovers searching for traces of water and ancient life. The reading passage The Exploration of Mars provides a comprehensive overview of how human perception has shifted over time, from 19th-century astronomical observations to tangible evidence gathered from meteorites and the Atacama Desert. Studying this passage helps you master essential skills such as Matching Information, Multiple Choice, and True/False/Not Given questions. It serves as an ideal resource for familiarizing yourself with specialized vocabulary in astronomy, biology, and geology for the IELTS exam.

Reading Passage

A. In 1877, Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer, made drawings and maps of the Martian surface that suggested strange features. The images from telescopes at this time were not as sharp as today’s. Schiaparelli said he could see a network of lines, or canali. In 1894, an American astronomer, Percival Lowell, made a series of observations of Mars from his own observatory at Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. Lowell was convinced a great network of canals had been dug to irrigate crops for the Martian race! He suggested that each canal had fertile vegetation on either side, making them noticeable from Earth. Drawings and globes he made show a network of canals and oases all over the planet.

B. The idea that there was intelligent life on Mars gained strength in the late 19th century. In 1898, H.G. Wells wrote a science fiction classic, The War of the Worlds about an invading force of Martians who try to conquer Earth. They use highly advanced technology (advanced for 1898) to crush human resistance in their path. In 1917, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote the first in a series of 11 novels about Mars. Strange beings and rampaging Martian monsters gripped the public’s imagination. A radio broadcast by Orson Welles on Halloween night in 1938 of The War of the Worlds caused widespread panic across America. People ran into the streets in their pyjamas-millions believed the dramatic reports of a Martian invasion.

C. Probes are very important to our understanding of other planets. Much of our recent knowledge comes from these robotic missions into space. The first images sent back from Mars came from Mariner 4 in July 1965. They showed a cratered and barren landscape, more like the surface of our moon than Earth. In 1969, Mariners 6 and 7 were launched and took 200 photographs of Mars’s southern hemisphere and pole on fly-by missions. But these showed little more information. In 1971, Mariner 9’s mission was to orbit the planet every 12 hours. In 1975, The USA sent two Viking probes to the planet, each with a lander and an orbiter. The Landers had sampler arms to scoop up Maritain rocks and did experiments to try and find signs of life. Although no life was found, they sent back the first colour pictures of the planet’s surface and atmosphere from pivoting cameras.

D. The Martian meteorite found in Earth aroused doubts to the above analysis. ALH84001 meteorite was discovered in December 1984 in Antarctica, by members of the ANSMET project; The sample was ejected from Mars about 17 million years ago and spent 11,000 years in or on the Antarctic ice sheets. Composition analysis by NASA revealed a kind of magnetite that on Earth, is only found in association with certain microorganisms. Some structures resembling the mineralized casts of terrestrial bacteria and their appendages fibrils or by-products occur in the rims of carbonate globules and pre-terrestrial aqueous alteration regions. The size and shape of the objects is consistent with Earthly fossilized nanobacteria but the existence of nanobacteria itself is still controversial.

E. In 1965, the Mariner 4 probe discovered that Mars had no global magnetic field that would protect the planet from potentially life-threatening cosmic radiation and solar radiation; observations made in the late 1990s by the Mars Global Surveyor confirmed this discovery. Scientists speculate that the lack of magnetic shielding helped the solar wind blow away much of Mars’s atmosphere over the course of several billion years. After mapping cosmic radiation levels at various depths on Mars, researchers have concluded that any life within the first several meters of the planet’s surface would be killed by lethal doses of cosmic radiation. In 2007, it was calculated that DNA and RNA damage by cosmic radiation would limit life on Mars to depths greater than 7.5 metres below the planet’s surface. Therefore, the best potential locations for discovering life on Mars may be at subsurface environments that have not been studied yet. Disappearance of the magnetic field may played an significant role in the process of Martian climate change. According to the valuation of the scientists, the climate of Mars gradually transits from warm and wet to cold and dry after magnetic field vanished.

F. NASA’s recent missions have focused on another question: whether Mars held lakes or oceans of liquid water on its surface in the ancient past. Scientists have found hematite, a mineral that forms in the presence of water. Thus, the mission of the Mars Exploration Rovers of 2004 was not to look for present or past life, but for evidence of liquid water on the surface of Mars in the planet’s ancient past. Liquid water, necessary for Earth life and for metabolism as generally conducted by species on Earth, cannot exist on the surface of Mars under its present low atmospheric pressure and temperature, except at the lowest shaded elevations for short periods and liquid water does not appear at the surface itself. In March 2004, NASA announced that its rover Opportunity had discovered evidence that Mars was, in the ancient past, a wet planet. This had raised hopes that evidence of past life might be found on the planet today. ESA confirmed that the Mars Express orbiter had directly detected huge reserves of water ice at Mars’ south pole in January 2004.

G. Researchers from the Center of Astrobiology (Spain) and the Catholic University of the North in Chile have found an ‘oasis’ of microorganisms two meters below the surface of the Atacama Desert, SOLID, a detector for signs of life which could be used in environments similar to subsoil on Mars. “We have named it a ‘microbial oasis’ because we found microorganisms developing in a habitat that was rich in rock salt and other highly hygroscopic compounds that absorb water” explained Victor Parro, researcher from the Center of Astrobiology in Spain. “If there are similar microbes on Mars or remains in similar conditions to the ones we have found in Atacama, we could detect them with instruments like SOLID” Parro highlighted.

H. Even more intriguing, however, is the alternative scenario by Spanish scientists: If those samples could be found to that use DNA, as Earthly life does, as their genetic code. It is extremely unlikely that such a highly specialised, complex molecule like DNA could have evolved separately on the two planets, indicating that there must be a common origin for Martian and Earthly life. Life based on DNA first appeared on Mars and then spread to Earth, where it then evolved into the myriad forms of plants and creatures that exist today. If this was found to be the case, we would have to face the logical conclusion: we are all Martian. If not, we would continue to search the life of signs.

Questions

Complete Reading Translation & Explanation

[Paragraph A] In 1877, Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer, drew maps of the Martian surface suggesting strange features. Telescope images at that time were not as sharp as they are today. Schiaparelli noted that he could see a network of lines, referred to as "canali." In 1894, the American astronomer Percival Lowell believed that a massive network of canals had been dug to irrigate crops for a Martian race! He suggested that each canal featured fertile vegetation on both sides, making them visible from Earth.

[Paragraph B] The concept of intelligent life on Mars gained momentum in the late 19th century. In 1898, H.G. Wells wrote the classic science fiction novel The War of the Worlds about a Martian invasion. In 1917, Edgar Rice Burroughs authored a series of novels featuring rampaging Martian monsters, capturing the public imagination. A radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds by Orson Welles on Halloween night in 1938 even sparked widespread panic across America as millions believed the reports of an invasion were real.

[Paragraph C] Space probes are crucial to our understanding. The first images from Mariner 4 in 1965 revealed a cratered, barren landscape resembling the Moon more than Earth. In 1975, the US dispatched two Viking probes equipped with sampling arms to search for signs of life. Although no life was found, they transmitted the first color photographs of the planet’s surface and atmosphere.

[Paragraph D] The Martian meteorite ALH84001, discovered in Antarctica in 1984, cast doubt on previous analyses. NASA’s analysis revealed a type of magnetite that on Earth is exclusively associated with certain microorganisms. The size and shape of these objects align with Earth’s fossilized bacteria, though their actual existence remains controversial.

[Paragraph E] In 1965, Mariner 4 discovered that Mars lacked a global magnetic field to protect it from deadly cosmic radiation. Researchers concluded that any life within the top several meters of the planet’s surface would be eradicated by radiation. Consequently, the most promising locations to search for life are in subsurface environments deeper than 7.5 meters. The loss of the magnetic field also played a vital role in shifting the Martian climate from warm and wet to cold and arid.

[Paragraph F] NASA’s recent missions have focused on whether Mars ever hosted lakes or oceans of liquid water. Scientists discovered hematite, a mineral that forms in the presence of water. In 2004, the Opportunity rover found evidence that Mars was once a wet planet, reviving hopes of discovering ancient life.

[Paragraph G] Researchers in the Atacama Desert (Chile) discovered a "microbial oasis" two meters underground. They used the SOLID detector to identify signs of life, a tool that could be deployed in similar subsoil environments on Mars. If similar microorganisms exist on Mars, SOLID could detect them.

[Paragraph H] Even more fascinating is the alternative scenario proposed by Spanish scientists: if those samples utilize DNA as their genetic code—just like Earthly life—it strongly suggests a common origin for life on both planets. Should this prove true, we must face a logical conclusion: we are all Martians.

Academic Vocabulary Summary

• Astronomer (n): Nhà thiên văn học.

• Irrigate (v): Tưới tiêu.

• Cratered (adj): Đầy hố va chạm.

• Barren (adj): Khô cằn, không có sự sống.

• Meteorite (n): Thiên thạch.

• Ejected (v): Bị đẩy ra, bị văng ra.

• Microorganisms (n): Vi sinh vật.

• Cosmic radiation (n): Bức xạ vũ trụ.

• Metabolism (n): Sự trao đổi chất.

• Hygroscopic (adj): Hút ẩm.

Answer Key and Detailed Explanations

27. D: Refers to the meteorite ALH84001 (Martian evidence) found on Earth (Antarctica).

28. H: Proposes the hypothesis of a shared DNA origin between the two planets ("common origin").

29. A: Lowell specifically describes a system of canals ("network of canals") used to irrigate crops ("irrigate crops").

30. G: Mentions the project using the SOLID device in the Atacama Desert to search for life under conditions similar to Mars.

31. E: Describes the severe climate shift from "warm and wet" to "cold and dry" following the loss of the magnetic field.

32. F: Mentions the 2004 mission by the rovers to search for evidence of ancient liquid water ("liquid water").

33. C: Lowell described Mars as having water-carrying canals and cultivated vegetation, mirroring agricultural practices on Earth.

34. B: People shifted their perspectives through science fiction literature works (H.G. Wells, Burroughs).

35. B: Mariner 4 showed that Mars was barren and cratered, lacking the vibrancy ("not as vivid") of Earth.

36. A: According to Paragraph G, the SOLID device could be used to explore organisms under Martian conditions. Note: Option B is incorrect due to the trap word "NOT".

37. NOT GIVEN: The text only states that Martian technology was advanced for 1898, not that it was superior in "every field."

38. FALSE: Paragraph D notes that the 1984 meteorite discovery "aroused doubts" regarding previous analyses from Viking probes.

39. TRUE: Meteorite analysis found magnetite—a substance linked to microorganisms (germs).

40. NOT GIVEN: Victor Parro discusses the device’s potential, but does not explicitly state the project will be deployed on Mars "after identifying DNA on Earth."

The passage The Exploration of Mars outlines how humanity’s view of the Red Planet has evolved, from irrigation misconceptions to scientific discoveries regarding cosmic radiation and subsurface environments. Practicing with this text sharpens students’ ability to quickly locate information (Scanning) across paragraphs and untangle complex scientific hypotheses. In particular, the Matching Information and Multiple Choice questions require deep critical thinking, helping candidates boost their reading speed and accuracy when tackling academic science passages in the actual IELTS exam.