Cambridge 20 Reading Test 3 - Answers With Explanation

1. The Andean people froze and dried potatoes, which "preserved their nutritional value."

2. "Railroads first began putting blocks of ice in insulated rail cars to send butter from Ogdensburg, New York, to Boston."

3. "A shipment of Australian beef and mutton was sent, frozen, to England" — two kinds of meat.

4. Birdseye "developed quick-freezing techniques that reduced the damage that crystals caused."

5. He "introduced the use of cellophane, the first transparent material for food packaging, which allowed consumers to see the quality of the product."

6. "Canned foods were rationed to save tin for the war effort, while frozen foods were abundant and cheap."

7. "By 1953, 33 million US families owned a refrigerator."

8. The passage describes ice being towed across the Atlantic but never mentions the ship owners' wealth — NOT GIVEN.

9. "There was some deterioration... this spoilt the flavor and texture of the food." TRUE.

10. Birdseye "went to Labrador in Canada to trap and trade furs" and only then "became fascinated with how the Inuit would quickly freeze fish" — that wasn't his purpose for going — FALSE.

11. Swanson launched the TV Dinner "with the help of a clever name and a huge advertising budget." TRUE.

12. The TV Dinner was "served in the same segmented aluminum tray that was used by airlines" — an existing design, not a new one — FALSE.

13. The passage gives US turnover figures but never compares them with other countries — NOT GIVEN.

14. Section A: "we want to show people how wonderful they are" and "we also want to highlight the research and conservation efforts" — two distinct goals.

15. Section B describes the symbiotic relationship between coral polyps and algae, each helping the other survive.

16. Section C: Attenborough disputes the "rainforests of the sea" comparison, insisting reefs are more spectacular.

17. Section D: "scientists advise that more than 90% of reefs could be lost by 2050 unless urgent action is taken."

18. Section E describes scientists working to "find those that can survive best in warm, acidic waters" and to "increase coral breeding rates" — active efforts against the threats.

19. Section F: the progress made "can be shown to the public and encourage them to believe that we can do something to save the planet's reefs."

20–21. The passage lists "pollution by humans" (contamination from waste) and "ocean current changes" (alterations in the usual flow of water) among the threats to reefs.

22–23. Researchers aim "to find those that can survive best in warm, acidic waters" (coping with changed conditions) and "to try to increase coral breeding rates," including artificial spawning (speeding up reproduction).

24. "Corals are composed of tiny animals, known as polyps, with tentacles for capturing small marine creatures."

25. Algae living within the polyps "get protection, while their photosynthesising of the sun's rays provides nutrients for the polyps."

26. "Rising ocean temperatures are triggering bleaching events that strip reefs of their colour."

27. Rees: "I think we should ensure that robots remain as no more than 'idiot savants' lacking the capacity to outwit us."

28. Richardson: "none have in fact risen up and challenged human supremacy" — she believes it's unlikely they ever will.

29. Wolpert: "Expecting a machine close to the creative intelligence of a human within the next 50 years would be highly ambitious."

30. Rees: "Should we feel guilty about exploiting [sophisticated robots]? Should we fret if they are underemployed, frustrated, or bored?"

31. Wolpert: "Using robots to gather resources nearer to home would seem to be a better use of our robotic tools" than colonising other planets.

32. Rees: "it's better to read first-rate science fiction than second-rate science — more stimulating, and perhaps no more likely to be wrong."

33. Richardson: "Not all fear [robots]; many people welcome machine intelligence."

34. Rees says colonised planets "should be preserved," and Richardson calls colonisation "morally dubious" unless approached with genuine interest — both raise ethical concerns about altering other planets for our benefit.

35. Rees notes robots can "beat humans at chess" but are "still limited," while Wolpert says machines already outstrip humans "in a limited sense" — both assess how far machine intelligence has progressed.

36. Wolpert points to "the damaging effects of artificial intelligence in the form of computer viruses," while Richardson insists robots "have never... risen up and challenged human supremacy" — they disagree on whether AI has actually caused harm.

37. Richardson: fear "stems from humans' tendency to personify inanimate objects: we create machines based on representations of ourselves."

38. Rees worries computer networks "could behave like a single 'brain' with a mind of its own, and with goals that may be contrary to human welfare" — independent thought.

39. Wolpert: "almost no science fiction envisages a future without robots" — robots are central to the genre.

40. Richardson argues "we need to bring these different understandings together to get a whole perspective" — recommending people rethink how they view reality and fiction.