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ESSENTIAL READINGS

FOR THE IELTS

Mohammad Ali Salmani-Nodoushan, PhD


University of Zanjan

ZABANKADEH PUBLICATIONS
No. 8, Bazarcheh Ketaab, Enghelab Avenue, Tehran, Iran
Phone: + 98 21 66402367
Fax: + 98 21 66492961
© 2005 by Zabankadeh Publications
No 8, Bazarcheh Ketaab, Enghelab Sq., P.O. Box: 13145-564 Tehran, Iran
E-Mail: info@ zabankadeh.net Tel: 0216402367 Fax: 0216492961
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by photostat,
microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any information retrieval
system, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Essential Readings for the IELTS
Author: Mohammad Ali Salmani-Nodoushan, PhD
Printed in Iran
Salmani-Nodoushan, Mohammad Ali ‫ ـ‬1348 ‫ ﻣﺤﻤﺪﻋﻠﻲ‬،‫ﺳﻠﻤﺎﻧﻲ ﻧُﺪوﺷﻦ‬
(‫ اس‬.‫ ﺗﻲ‬.‫ ال‬.‫ اي‬.‫)اﻳﺴﻨﺸﺎل رﻳﺪﻳﻨﮕﺰ ﻓﺮ د آي‬
Essential Readings for the IELTS / Mohammad Ali Salmani-Nodoushan
‫ ﺗﻬﺮان‬:‫ زﺑﺎﻧﻜﺪه‬،‫ م‬2005=1384
.‫ ص‬180 ، xii
.‫اﻧﮕﻠﻴﺴﻲ‬
ISBN ***************
.‫ﻓﻬﺮﺳﺘﻨﻮﻳﺴﻲ ﺑﺮ اﺳﺎس اﻃﻼﻋﺎت ﻓﻴﭙﺎ‬
Essential Readings for the IELTS :‫ ﻋﻨﻮان‬.‫ اﻟﻒ‬.*** .2 .**** -- ‫ زﺑﺎن اﻧﮕﻠﻴﺴﻲ‬.1
***** PE **** / *****
1384
‫ م‬- 84 **** ‫ﻛﺘﺎﺑﺨﺎﻧﻪ ﻣﻠﻲ اﻳﺮان‬

Essential Readings for the IELTS


‫ دﻛﺘﺮ ﻣﺤﻤﺪﻋﻠﻲ ﺳﻠﻤﺎﻧﻲ ﻧُﺪوﺷﻦ‬:‫ﻣﻮﻟﻒ‬
‫اﻧﺘﺸﺎرات زﺑﺎﻧﻜﺪه‬
‫ ﭼﺎپ دﻳﺒﺎ‬،‫ ﻧﺴﺨﻪ‬3000 ‫ ﺗﻴﺮاژ‬،1384 ‫ﭼﺎپ اول‬
‫ ﺗﺮﺟﻤﻪ ﻣﺘﻦ و ﻫﺮ اﺳﺘﻔﺎده‬،‫ ﻫﺮﮔﻮﻧﻪ ﻧﺴﺨﻪ ﺑﺮداري‬.‫ﻛﻠﻴﻪ ﺣﻘﻮق ﺑﺮاي اﻧﺘﺸﺎرات زﺑﺎﻧﻜﺪه ﻣﺤﻔﻮظ ﻣﻲ ﺑﺎﺷﺪ‬
.‫دﻳﮕﺮ از ﻣﺘﻦ ﻛﺘﺎب ﻣﻤﻨﻮع ﺑﻮده و ﻣﺘﺨﻠﻒ ﺗﺤﺖ ﭘﻴﮕﺮد ﻗﺎﻧﻮﻧﻲ ﻗﺮار ﺧﻮاﻫﺪ ﮔﺮﻓﺖ‬

8 ‫ ﺷﻤﺎره‬،‫ ﺑﺎزارﭼﻪ ﻛﺘﺎب‬،‫ روﺑﺮوي دﺑﻴﺮﺧﺎﻧﻪ داﻧﺸﮕﺎه ﺗﻬﺮان‬،‫ﺗﻬﺮان‬


(021) 6492961 :‫( ﻓﺎﻛﺲ‬021) 6402367 :‫ﺗﻠﻔﻦ‬
‫ **** رﻳﺎل‬:‫ﻗﻴﻤﺖ‬ 13145 ‫ ـ‬564 :‫ﺻﻨﺪوق ﭘﺴﺘﻲ‬
ISBN: :‫ﺷﺎﺑﻚ‬
TO MY STUDENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am indebted to many people who have contributed to the preparation


of this book. Teachers from Canada to Japan have tested the materials
and given me their advice. Special thanks are given to Richard W.
Sorfleet, Tim Allen, Lori Lantz, Tenchi Kamiyama, and Sakura Mitsuki.
Many students have used the materials, and have shown me what was
good and what needed to be better. I thank all these students who have
inspired and guided me in the writing of this book.
Grateful acknowledgment is also made to Mrs. Arezou Pashapur who
took the painstaking task of typing the manuscript.
Finally, I wish to express my gratitude to the people at Zabankadeh
Publication Company who published and marketed the book.

Mohammad Ali Salmani-Nodoushan


September, 2005

V
CONTENTS

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

UNIT ONE

Natural hazards Robert I. Tilling 2


National parks and sanctuaries Kurt Repanshek 3
The sensory systems of sharks Jeffrey C. Carrier 5
Classification of airplanes Thomas M. Tripp 7
Mission to Moon Andrew Chaikin 8

UNIT TWO

Human nutrition B. Worthington-Roberts 14


Types of cholesterol Louis J. Vorhaus 15
Malnutrition Janet S. Austin 17
Vitamins and minerals B. Worthington-Roberts 19
Famine Michael C. Latham 20

UNIT THREE

Exobiology John D. Rummel 26


The origins of life John Tyler Bonner 27
Looking for life on Mars Jim Bell 29
Inner and outer planets Tobias C. Owen 31
Life beyond our solar system Robert Sheaffer 32

VII
UNIT FOUR

Discovery of the Americas Thomas C. Tirado 38


The Colombian exchange John R. McNeill 39
Selection of top ten Agnes Hooper Gottlieb 41
Elite of the last millennium Agnes Hooper Gottlieb 43
Articles of Columbian exchange John R. McNeill 44

UNIT FIVE

Volcanoes Robert I. Tilling 49


Volcano formation Robert I. Tilling 51
Types of volcanoes Robert I. Tilling 53
Volcanic materials Robert I. Tilling 55
Volcano hazards Robert I. Tilling 56

UNIT SIX

Pollution Paul Engelking 62


Solid wastes Jerry Y.C. Huang 63
Impacts of pollution Paul Engelking 65
Types of pollution Paul Engelking 67
History and control of pollution Paul Engelking 68

UNIT SEVEN

Comet groups Jay M. Pasachoff 74


Impacts of comets Jay M. Pasachoff 75
Leonids David D. Meisel 77
Intriguing aspects of comets Ronald A. Schorn 79
More about comets Bob Naeye 80

UNIT EIGHT

Fossils Neil Clark 86


Fossil discovery and collection Neil Clark 87
Where fossils form Neil Clark 89
Process of fossilization Neil Clark 91
Ice age Barry Goldstein 92

VIII
UNIT NINE
African mud architecture Randall Fegley 98
Ways of building in mud Randall Fegley 99
Limitations of mud Randall Fegley 101
Native American architecture Leland M. Roth 103
Bamboo solution Mary Roach 104

UNIT TEN

Role of ants in ecosystem Walter R. Tschinkel 110


Ant defense behavior Walter R. Tschinkel 111
Ant communication Walter R. Tschinkel 113
Types of ants Walter R. Tschinkel 115
More about ants Walter R. Tschinkel 116

UNIT ELEVEN

Environment Michael Zimmerman 122


Understanding the environment Michael Zimmerman 123
Environmental awareness Michael Zimmerman 125
Environment-threatening factors Michael Zimmerman 127
Efforts to protect the environment Michael Zimmerman 128

UNIT TWELVE

Acid rain John Hart 134


Formation of acid rain John Hart 135
How to control acid rain John Hart 137
Effects of acid rain John Hart 139
Efforts to control acid rains John Hart 140

UNIT THIRTEEN

Methane-ice home Encarta Yearbook 1997 146


Red tides Encarta Yearbook 1996 147
Manatee die-off Encarta Yearbook 1996 149
Red tides worldwide Encarta Yearbook 1995 151
The biodiversity issue Stevenson Swanson 152
IX
UNIT FOURTEEN

AIDS John G. Bartlett 158


How HIV works John G. Bartlett 159
Prevalence of AIDS John G. Bartlett 161
How HIV infection spreads John G. Bartlett 163
AIDS: Social and ethical issues John G. Bartlett 164

UNIT FIFTEEN

Mars Jim Bell 170


Exploration of Mars Jim Bell 171
The atmosphere of Mars Jim Bell 173
White and black dwarfs Dennis L. Mammana 175
Mariner space probes Dennis L. Mammana 176

X
PREFACE

Essential readings for the IELTS is designed for adults who are
interested in strengthening their reading skills for academic, personal, or
career purposes. The book can be used for a variety of purposes. First,
it is suitable for EFL learners in undergraduate classes of reading
comprehension at university level. Second, the book can be used by
undergraduate EFL students who want to expand their reading skills. In
addition, the book can be used for coaching purposes; since the design
of the book follows the design of the general training reading module of
the IELTS test, the book can also be used for coaching.
All the texts in this book emphasize reading practice as well as reading
speed. The passages were taken from magazines, journals,
encyclopedias, leaflets, books, and newspapers. At least one text in
each unit contains detailed logical argument. Moreover, the reading
passages are representative of current non-fiction, magazine or
newspaper writing. They cover a wide range of subject matter in order
to expose the reader to various content demands of general reading
materials. Attempts were made to select the readings with great care so
that almost no adaptations (simplifying structures and vocabulary, and
glossing) would be needed.
The book consists of fifteen units. Each unit is composed of five reading
selections. The first reading selection of each unit includes 155 words.
The second reading selection in each unit includes 237 words, the third
reading selection 379 words, the fourth one 442 words, and the last one
826 words. All the reading selections have a Flesch-Kincaid grade level
of 11 to 12, meaning that they are suitable for intermediate to advanced
learners.
The readings are of graded difficulty; they are arranged in order of
difficulty. Therefore, it is recommended that the units be presented in
the given order if the book is to be used as a textbook in classes of
reading comprehension, or for coaching purposes.
Each unit consists of three sections and a variety of task-based
question types. The first section of each unit includes two reading texts

XI
and two sets of questions: true/false items and sentence-completion
practice. The second section, too, consists of two reading selections
and two sets of questions: true/false items, and outlining practice (i.e.,
choosing suitable paragraph headings from a list). Finally, the third
section consists of only one reading selection and three sets of
questions that fall into two categories: skimming exercises (skimming
for dates, and skimming for names); and eliciting the views of the
writer (i.e., identification of writers’ views or attitudes). On the
whole, each unit consists of 40 questions.
When the reading passages are discussed in class, attention
should generally be directed to sentence and paragraph content
rather than to individual words. If a key word is unfamiliar, the
students should be encouraged to guess the meaning from the
context. They should also be encouraged to see that words can
have different meanings in different contexts.

Mohammad Ali Salmani-Nodoushan


September, 2005

XII
UNIT ONE

SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13

QUESTIONS 1-5

Look at the information below about NATURAL HAZARDS.

mark ⓣ If the statement is true


ⓕ If the statement is false
ⓝ If the information is not given in the passage

EXAMPLE ANSWER
Natural hazards are responsible for the death of some
people.
● ⓕ ⓝ

Now answer the following questions:

1) Volcanoes, hurricanes and earthquakes are chronic ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ


and continuous in nature.
2) The impact of an earthquake on buildings can be ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
predicted before the occurrence of the quake.
3) Mount Pinatubo is a volcanic mountain that stands in ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
the Philippines.
4) According to the passage, geologists are scientists ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
who study the behavior of volcanoes.
5) Water storage and embankments are two engineering ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
solutions that can prevent floods from occurring.

UNIT ONE 1
NATURAL HAZARDS
Continuously occurring or chronic natural hazards are often
unrecognized as such and difficult to identify. They may adversely affect
lots of people, animals and plants. Many natural hazards, such as
earthquakes, volcanoes, and hurricanes are unavoidable, but measures
can be taken to lower their impact. Thus buildings can be designed to
withstand quakes, and ways are also being developed to predict their
occurrence.
In 1991 the volcano Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted.
Fortunately a team of geologists from the United States Geological
Survey were present, who predicted the eruption and saved the lives of
many people who were evacuated. Flood impacts can be reduced by
engineering solutions. These solutions may involve water storage and
embankments, and warnings and advice given to the public in advance
of major storms. When Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992 it
caused $12 billion of damage, but due to the advance warning of the
storm only 50 people died.

QUESTIONS 6-13

Look at NATIONAL PARKS AND SANCTUARIES below.


Match each of the following sentences with TWO possible endings A-M
from the box below.

EXAMPLE ANSWER
National parks are possessed by governments in … A and M

Write the appropriate letters A-M in boxes headed Answer.

QUESTIONS ANSWER
6 & 7 Forlandet National Park is …
8 & 9 Lake District National Park in the United
Kingdom encompasses …
10 & 11 Lake District National Park in the United
Kingdom encompasses …
12 & 13 National parks and sanctuaries in Britain are
not supervised and controlled …

2 UNIT ONE
POSSIBLE ENDINGS

A South America.
B England’s tallest mountain.
C by the government.
D residence for red deer.
E active farms.
F food for migrating birds on their way to Africa.
G a narrow island and sanctuary located in Norway.
H for purposes of recreation.
I throughout the park.
J ancient settlements.
K an important breeding ground for guillemot ducklike auks.
L habitat for the last surviving wild lynxes.
M the United States.

NATIONAL PARKS AND SANCTUARIES

Governments posses sanctuaries in North and South America. However,


the government does not entirely posses them in Britain. Nor are they
supervised and managed primarily for purposes of recreation and
wildlife. Their residents possess many of these sanctuaries which
encompass ancient settlements. Many ancient towns and villages exist
within 2331 square km Lake District National Park. Active farms, stone
quarries, and ancient mines are scattered throughout the park. These
ranches provide residence for red deer, fox, swans, and trout. The
hundreds of lakes in the park inspired the park’s name. England’s tallest
mountain, Scafell Pike, also stands here. Stone and Earthen monuments
together with burial mounds of England’s Stone, Iron, and Bronze Ages
are sheltered in 1437 square km Peak National Park and 694 square km
Exmoor National Park.
Similarly, national parks in Norway encapsulate colonies of seabirds,
walrus, and reindeer herds. Forlandet National Park is a narrow island.
Several small glaciers cling to its high peaks. The 640 square km island
lies along the northernmost reach of the ocean stream from the Gulf of

UNIT ONE 3
Mexico, which creates a mild climate, making this an important breeding
ground for guillemot ducklike auks. Seals, eider ducks, and geese also
depend on its habitats. Spain’s Doana National Park provides a 507
square km wildlife refuge where birds that nest in northern Europe feed
while migrating to Africa. The last surviving wild lynxes in southern
Europe find sanctuary there as well.

SECTION 2: QUESTIONS 14-27

QUESTIONS 14-20
Look at THE SENSORY SYSTEMS OF SHARKS below and at the
following statements.
mark ⓣ If the statement is true
ⓕ If the statement is false
ⓝ If the information is not given in the passage

Now answer the following questions:

14) Sharks use their developed sensory systems for


finding food.
ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ

15) The largest section of the brain of every shark is


devoted to its sense of smell.
ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ

16) Nocturnal animals have well-developed sense of


smell called tapetum lucidum.
ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ

17) A narrow strip of sensory cells can be found along the


sides of the body of a shark which enables it to see ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
its prey in extremely dark waters.
18) Almost all species of sharks are color blind. ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
19) A special reception system called clusters of
ampullae of Lorenzini capacitates sharks to find prey ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
swimming at distances over 1 meter.
20) Sharks usually use their electrosensors for purposes
of attacking other animals which are in the final ⓣ ⓕ ⓝ
stages of feeding.

4 UNIT ONE
THE SENSORY SYSTEMS OF SHARKS

The well-developed sensory systems of sharks capacitate them with


unmatched advantages—in comparison to almost every other animal—
when hunting or feeding.
The sense of smell comprises almost one-third of a shark’s brain. A
shark’s sense of smell is so powerful that it can detect perfumes and
odors in the water hundreds of meters from their source. Sharks can
detect as little as one part per million of substances in the water, such as
blood, body fluids, and chemical substances produced by animals under
stress. Some sharks can detect as few as ten drops of liquid tuna in the
volume of water it takes to fill an average swimming pool.
Sharks’ eyes detect and capture virtually small movements and they can
sense in gloomy conditions, making them effective hunters in virtually
dark depths. Like cats and other nocturnal hunters, sharks have a
reflective layer in the back of their eyes, called the tapetum lucidum,
which magnifies low levels of light. In clear water, sharks see their prey
when it is about 20 to 30 meters away.
Sharks’ eyes also contain specific cells that detect color, and behavioral
studies suggest that sharks can see colors as well as black, white, and
shades of gray. These studies also revealed that luminous and
glimmering objects and bright colors, such as yellow and orange, may
attract sharks.
Sharks employ an extra sensory system—which scientists call the lateral
line—to detect vibrations in the water which fish, boats, surfers or even
swimmers often create. A narrow strip of sensory cells running along the
sides of the body and into the shark’s head comprises the lateral line.
This sensory system is especially sensitive to sounds in the low-
frequency ranges, such as those which struggling wounded fish or other
animals emit.
Additionally, the functioning of neurons and muscles in living animals
create electrical currents which sharks sense in no time. The shark’s
electrosensors—the clusters of ampullae of Lorenzini—exist over the
shark’s head of all sharks. This reception system is effective only over
distances of less than 1 meter. It may aid sharks in the final stages of
feeding or attack. Scientists also concede that this system may
somehow capacitate sharks to detect the feeble electromagnetic fields of
the Earth, ushering them in migration.

UNIT ONE 5
QUESTIONS 21-26
Look at CLASSIFICATION OF AIRPLANES below. From the following
list (i-xi) choose the most suitable summaries for the paragraphs A, C,
and E-H.
Write the appropriate numbers (i-xi) in boxes headed Answer.

i The general structure and the design of sea planes


ii Technical characteristics of amphibian planes
iii The way a space craft takes off and lands
iv Take off and landing characteristics of carrier-based airplanes
v General characteristics of helicopters
vi Technical features of short-range airplanes
vii The sophisticated under-carriage system of pontoon planes
viii Major classes of airplanes
ix Take off and cruise characteristics of Vertical Take-off planes
x The skis some planes use in the Arctic and Antarctic regions
xi Gear systems of land planes and the runways they can use

NB There are more summaries than paragraphs, so you will not use
them all. (Two examples are provided.)

QUESTIONS PARAGRAPHS ANSWER


21 Paragraph A
EXAMPLE Paragraph B xi
22 Paragraph C
EXAMPLE Paragraph D i
23 Paragraph E
24 Paragraph F
25 Paragraph G
26 Paragraph H

6 UNIT ONE
CLASSIFICATION OF AIRPLANES

A
Airplanes are classifiable into various classes including land planes,
carrier-based airplanes, seaplanes, amphibians, vertical takeoff and
landing, short takeoff and landing, and space shuttles.

B
Designers usually design land planes to operate from a paved surface,
typically a runway, and equip some of them to operate from grass or
other unfinished surfaces. Land planes usually have wheels. Some
specialized aircrafts operating in the Arctic or Antarctic regions have
skis instead of wheels.

C
As a modified type of land planes which can takeoff from and land
aboard naval aircraft bases, carrier-based airplanes have a
strengthened structure. A landing gear helps them handle the stresses
of catapult-assisted takeoff, in which steam-driven catapults launch the
craft. They also make arrested landings by using hooks attached to the
underside of their tails.

D
Pontoon planes are technically-modified land planes with floats in place
of wheels so they can operate from water. Their designers have
designed a number of seaplanes from scratch to operate only from
water bases. Pontoon planes may have small floats connected to their
outer wing panels to help steady them at low speeds on the water, but
the plane’s floating hull usually bears the weight of the plane.

E
Amphibians operate from both water and land headquarters. Very often,
an amphibian is an extraordinary Pontoon, with a boat-like hull and the
addition of specifically designed under-carriage system. When
extended, it can capacitate the airplane to taxi right out of the water
onto land headquarters. Historically, some Pontoons possessed a
beaching gear, a system of cradles on wheels positioned under the
floating aircraft. It allowed the pilot to roll the aircraft onto land.

UNIT ONE 7
F
Vertical Takeoff and Landing airplanes typically implement the jet thrust
from their turbines, pointed down at the Earth, to take off and land
straight up and down. After taking off, the airplane usually transitions to
wing-borne flight in order to cover a longer distance or carry a
significant load. A helicopter is a typical example of such an aircraft.

G
Short-Takeoff-and-Landing aircrafts are able to function on relatively
short runways. Their designs usually employ optimized wings and high-
lift instruments on the wings for optimum performance throughout
takeoff and landing as distinguished from an airplane that has a wing
optimized for high-speed cruise at high altitude. These airplanes are
usually cargo airplanes. Some serve in a passenger-carrying capacity
as well.

H
A NASA space shuttle is an aircraft unprecedented by any other
because it flies as a fixed-wing airplane within the atmosphere and as a
spacecraft in outer space. After rising from the launching base, the
space shuttle flies like a rocket out of the atmosphere. During landing,
the shuttle becomes the world’s most sophisticated engine-less glider.

SECTION 3: QUESTIONS 27-40


Read the following passage and answer questions 27-40.

MISSION TO MOON
In 1958, the United States and the USSR were both working hard to be
the pioneer to send a satellite to the Moon. Their early probes failed. On
October 11, 1958, Pioneer 1 was launched by the United States to orbit
the Moon. It did not reach a high enough speed to reach the Moon, but
reached a height above Earth of more than 110,000 km. In December
1958 Pioneer 3 also failed to leave high Earth orbit. It did, however,
discover a second Van Allen belt of radiation around Earth.
On January 2, 1959, after two earlier failed missions, the USSR
launched Luna 1, which was expected to hit the Moon. Although it
missed its target, Luna 1 did become the first artificial object to escape
Earth orbit. On September 14, 1959, Luna 2 became the first artificial
object to strike the Moon, impacting east of Moon’s Mare Serentitatis. In

8 UNIT ONE
October 1959, Luna 3 flew around the Moon and radioed the first
pictures of the far side of the Moon, which is not visible from Earth.
In the United States, efforts to reach the Moon did not resume until
1962, with a series of probes called Ranger. The early Rangers were
designed to eject an instrument capsule onto the Moon’s surface just
before the main spacecraft crashed into the Moon. These missions were
plagued by failures—only Ranger 4 struck the Moon, and the spacecraft
had already ceased functioning by that time. Rangers 6 through 9 were
similar to the early Rangers, but did not have instrument packages. They
carried television cameras designed to send back pictures of the Moon
before the spacecraft crashed. On July 31, 1964, Ranger 7 succeeded in
sending back the first quality images of the Moon before crashing, as
planned, into the surface. Rangers 8 and 9 repeated the feat in 1965.
By then, the United States had embarked on the Apollo program to land
humans on the Moon. With an Apollo landing in mind, the next series of
U.S. lunar probes, named Surveyor, was designed to “soft-land” (that is,
land without crashing) on the lunar surface and send back pictures and
other data to aid Apollo planners. As it turned out, the Soviets made their
own soft landing first, with Luna 9, on February 3, 1966. The first
pictures of a dusty moonscape from the lunar surface were radioed by
Luna 9. Surveyor 1 successfully reached the surface on June 2, 1966.
Six more Surveyor missions followed, but only two were successful.
Thousands of pictures of the lunar surface were sent back by the
Surveyors. Two of the probes were equipped with a mechanical claw,
remotely operated from Earth, that enabled scientists to investigate the
consistency of the lunar soil.
At the same time, the Lunar Orbiter probes were launched by the United
States, which began circling the Moon to map its surface in
unprecedented detail. Lunar Orbiter 1 began taking pictures on August
18, 1966. Four more Lunar Orbiters continued the mapping program,
which gave scientists thousands of quality photographs covering nearly
all of the Moon.
Beginning in 1968, unpiloted Zond probes—actually a lunar version of
their piloted Soyuz spacecraft—were sent around the Moon by the
USSR. These flights, initially designed as preparation for planned piloted
missions that would orbit the Moon, returned high-quality photographs of
the Moon and Earth. Two of the Zonds carried biological payloads with
turtles, plants, and other living things. Both the United States and the
USSR were achieving successes with their unpiloted lunar missions.
However, the Americans were pulling steadily ahead in their piloted
program. As their piloted lunar program began to lag, the Soviets made

UNIT ONE 9
plans for robotic landers that would gather a sample of lunar soil and
carry it to Earth. Although this did not occur in time to upstage the Apollo
landings as the Soviets had hoped, Luna 16 did carry out a sample
return in September 1970, returning to Earth with 100 g (4 oz) of rock
and soil from the Moon’s Mare Fecunditatis. In November 1970 Luna 17
landed with a remote-controlled rover called Lunakhod 1. The first
wheeled vehicle on the Moon, Lunakhod 1 traveled 10.5 km (6.4 mi)
across the Sinus Iridium during ten months of operations, sending back
pictures and other data. Only three more lunar probes followed. Luna 20
returned samples in February 1972. Lunakhod 2, carried aboard the
Luna 21 lander, reached the Moon in January 1973. Then, in August
1976 Luna 24 ended the first era of lunar exploration.
Exploration of the Moon resumed in February 1994 with the U.S. probe
called Clementine, which circled the Moon for three months. In addition
to surveying the Moon with quality cameras, Clementine gathered the
first exact data on lunar topography using a laser altimeter. Clementine’s
laser altimeter bounced laser beams off of the Moon’s surface,
measuring the time they took to come back to determine the height of
features on the Moon.

QUESTIONS 27-31
Complete the table below. Write a date for each answer. The first one
has been done as an example for you. Write your answers in boxes
headed DATE.

QUESTION EVENT DATE


The US launched Pioneer 1 to orbit the
EXAMPLE 1958
Moon.
Discovery of the second Van Allen belt
27
around Earth
Ranger7 crashed into the surface of the
28
Moon
The resumption of US efforts to reach the
29
Moon
Clementine went round the Moon for three
30
months
Lunar Orbiter1 began taking photos of the
31
surface of Moon

10 UNIT ONE

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