Snow Makers Reading Answers - IELTS Reading Practice Test
International English Language Testing System ( IELTS )
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Practising IELTS Reading passages like "Snow Makers" is key to boosting your test performance. It helps you get comfortable with different question types and passage styles, making you quicker at spotting key details and understanding the main ideas. By regularly working through practice passages, you improve your reading speed and comprehension and build the confidence needed to tackle the exam. It’s like training for a race— the more you practice, the more prepared and relaxed you'll feel on test day.
The passage below, "Snow Makers", is inspired by the Reading Practice Test. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, based on the reading passage.
Snow Makers Reading Passage
Skiing is a big business nowadays. But what can ski resort owners do if the snow doesn't come?
A. In the early to mid-twentieth century, with the growing popularity of skiing, ski slopes became extremely profitable businesses. But ski resort owners were completely dependent on the weather: if it didn't snow or didn’t snow enough, they had to close everything down. Fortunately, a device called the snow gun can now provide snow whenever it is needed. These days, such machines are standard equipment in the vast majority of ski resorts around the world, making it possible for many resorts to stay open for months or more a year.
B. Snow formed by natural weather systems comes from water vapour in the atmosphere. The water vapour condenses into droplets, forming clouds. If the temperature is sufficiently low, the water droplets freeze into tiny ice crystals. More water particles then condense onto the crystal and join with it to form a snowflake. As the snowflake grows heavier, it falls towards the Earth.
C. The snow gun works very differently from a natural weather system, but it accomplishes exactly the same thing. The device basically works by combining water and air. Two different hoses are attached to the gun, one leading from a water pumping station that pumps water up from a lake or reservoir and the other leading from an air compressor. When the compressed air passes through the hose into the gun. It atomises the water - that is, it disrupts the stream so that the water splits up into tiny droplets. The droplets are then blown out of the gun, and if the outside temperature is below 0°C, ice crystals will form and make snowflakes in the same way as natural snow.
D. Snow-makers often talk about dry snow and wet snow. Dry snow has a relatively low amount of water, so it is very light and powdery. This type of snow is excellent for skiing because skis glide over it easily without getting stuck in wet slush. One of the advantages of using a snow-maker is that this powdery snow can be produced to give the ski slopes a level surface. However, on slopes which receive heavy use, resort owners also use denser, wet snow underneath the dry snow. Many resorts build up the snow depth this way once or twice a year and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter.
E. The wetness of snow is dependent on the temperature and humidity outside, as well as the size of the water droplets launched by the gun. Snow-makers have to adjust the proportions of water and air in their snow guns to get the perfect snow consistency for outdoor weather conditions. Many ski slopes now do this with a central computer system that is connected to weather-reading stations all over the slope.
F. But man-made snow puts heavy demands on the environment. It takes about 275,000 litres of water to create a blanket of snow covering a 60x60 metre area. Most resorts pump water from one or more reservoirs located in low-lying areas. The run-off water from the slopes feeds back into these reservoirs, so the resort can actually use the same water over and over again. However, considerable amounts of energy are needed to run the large air-compressing pumps, and the diesel engines which run them also cause air pollution.
G. Because of the expense of making snow, ski resorts have to balance the cost of running the machines with the benefits of extending the ski season, making sure they only make snow when it is really needed and when it will bring the maximum amount of profit in return for the investment. But man-made snow has a number of other uses as well. A layer of snow keeps a lot of the Earth’s heat from escaping into the atmosphere, so farmers often use man-made snow to provide insulation for winter crops. Snow-making machines have played a big part in many movie productions. Movie producers often take several months to shoot scenes that cover just a few days. If the movie takes place in a snowy setting, the set decorators have to get the right amount of snow for each day of shooting, either by adding man-made snow or melting natural snow. Another important application of man-made snow is its use in the tests that aircraft must undergo in order to ensure that they can function safely in extreme conditions.
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Snow Makers Reading Questions & Answers
Questions 1-8
The Reading Passage has SEVEN sections, A-G.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
1. Applications beyond the ski slopes.
Answer: G
Answer Location: Paragraph G, Line 3
Explanation: Paragraph G discusses several uses of artificial snow beyond skiing, such as insulation for winter crops, use in movie productions, and aircraft safety testing. "But man-made snow has a number of other uses as well." and the details follow this statement.
2. Considering ecological costs.
Answer: F
Answer Location: Paragraph F, Line 1
Explanation: Paragraph F explains the environmental impact of using snow-making machines, including water usage, energy consumption, and air pollution from diesel engines. "But man-made snow puts heavy demands on the environment." and "It takes about 275,000 litres of water to create a blanket of snow covering a 60x60 metre area."
3. A problem and a solution.
Answer: A
Answer Location: Paragraph A, Line 2
Explanation: Paragraph A highlights the problem faced by ski resort owners due to weather conditions (lack of snow) and the solution (snow guns) that allows resorts to generate snow whenever needed. "But ski resort owners were completely dependent on the weather: if it didn't snow or didn’t snow enough, they had to close everything down. Fortunately, a device called the snow gun can now provide snow whenever it is needed."
4. New method for calculating modifications.
Answer: E
Answer Location: Paragraph E, Line 4
Explanation: Paragraph E describes how modern snow-making systems adjust the snow consistency by using a computer system that monitors weather conditions on the slopes. "Many ski slopes now do this with a central computer system that is connected to weather-reading stations all over the slope."
5. The need for different varieties of snow.
Answer: D
Answer Location: Paragraph D, Line 1
Explanation: Paragraph D discusses the differences between dry and wet snow and how resorts use both types depending on conditions, with dry snow for easy skiing and wet snow for a denser layer. "Dry snow has a relatively low amount of water, so it is very light and powdery... However, on slopes which receive heavy use, resort owners also use denser, wet snow underneath the dry snow."
6. Artificial process, natural product.
Answer: C
Answer Location: Paragraph C, Line 1
Explanation: Paragraph C explains how snow-making machines use a process involving water and air to create snow, which is similar to the natural formation of snowflakes. "The device basically works by combining water and air... The droplets are then blown out of the gun, and if the outside temperature is below 0°C, ice crystals will form and make snowflakes in the same way as natural snow."
7. Snow formation in nature.
Answer: B
Answer Location: Paragraph B, Line 1
Explanation: Paragraph B describes how snow naturally forms from water vapour in the atmosphere, leading to the creation of snowflakes. "Snow formed by natural weather systems comes from water vapour in the atmosphere... The water droplets freeze into tiny ice crystals."
8. Man-made snow in testing aircraft.
Answer: G
Answer Location: Paragraph G, Line 2
Explanation: Paragraph G also mentions that artificial snow is used in the testing of aircraft to ensure they can function safely in extreme conditions. "Another important application of man-made snow is its use in the tests that aircraft must undergo in order to ensure that they can function safely in extreme conditions."
Snow Makers Reading Practice Questions
Questions 9-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9. Dry snow is used to increase the depth on busy slopes.
Answer: FALSE
Answer Location: Paragraph D, Line 4
Explanation: The passage says that wet snow, not dry snow, is used underneath the dry snow to increase the snow depth on busy slopes. "Many resorts build up the snow depth this way once or twice a year and then regularly coat the trails with a layer of dry snow throughout the winter."
10. To calculate the required snow consistency, checking the atmosphere's temperature comes secondary.
Answer: FALSE
Answer Location: Paragraph E, Line 1
Explanation: Paragraph E suggests that the snow consistency depends on the temperature, humidity, and the size of water droplets launched by the gun, and temperature is one of the primary factors considered. "The wetness of snow is dependent on the temperature and humidity outside."
11. The machinery used in the process of making the snow consumes more than half of the energy, which is damaging to the environment.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Answer Location: Paragraph 4, Line 4
Explanation: The text mentions that snow-making machinery requires considerable energy and that diesel engines cause air pollution, but it doesn't specify that the machinery consumes more than half of the energy. "Considerable amounts of energy are needed to run the large air-compressing pumps, and the diesel engines which run them also cause air pollution."
12. Artificial snow is used in agriculture as insulation for plants in cold conditions.
Answer: TRUE
Answer Location: Paragraph G, Line 3
Explanation: Paragraph G mentions that one of the uses of man-made snow is as insulation for winter crops. "A layer of snow keeps a lot of the Earth’s heat from escaping into the atmosphere, so farmers often use man-made snow to provide insulation for winter crops."
13. Artificial snow may also be used to carry out aircraft safety checks.
Answer: TRUE
Answer Location: Paragraph G, Last two lines
Explanation: Paragraph G specifically mentions that artificial snow is used in aircraft tests to ensure safe operation in extreme conditions. "Another important application of man-made snow is its use in the tests that aircraft must undergo in order to ensure that they can function safely in extreme conditions."
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