Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 477
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 477 – PASSAGE – 2
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 477
READING PASSAGE – 2
The history and construction of Pagodas
The origin of the pagoda can be traced to the stupa of 3rd century BCE. The stupa, a dome shaped monument, was used as a commemorative monument to house sacred relics and writings. In East Asia, the architecture of Chinese towers and Chinese pavilions blended into pagoda architecture, eventually also spreading to Southeast Asia. Their construction was popularized by the efforts of Buddhist missionaries, pilgrims, rulers, and ordinary devotees to honour Buddhist relics.
Japan has a total of 22 five-storied timber pagodas constructed before 1850. The earliest styles of Chinese pagodas were square-base and circular-base, with octagonal-base towers emerging in the 5th-10th centuries. The highest Chinese pagoda from the pre-modern age is the Liaodi Pagoda of Kaiyuan Monastery, Dingxian, Hebei province, completed in the year 1055 AD under Emperor Renzong of Song and standing at a total height of 84 m (275 ft).
IELTS General Reading Test
Although it no longer stands, the tallest pre-modern pagoda in Chinese history was the 100-metre-tall wooden pagoda (330 ft) of Chang’an, built by Emperor Yang of Sui. The tallest pre-modern pagoda still standing is the Liaodi Pagoda. In April 2007, a new wooden pagoda Tianning Temple of Changzhou was opened to the public, the tallest in China, standing 154 m (505 ft).
Chinese iconography is noticeable in East Asian pagoda architectures. Also prominent is Buddhist iconography such as the image of the Shakyamuni and Gautama Buddha in the abhaya mudra. In an article on Buddhist elements in Han dynasty art, Wu Hung suggests that in these temples, Buddhist symbolism was fused with native Chinese traditions into a unique system of symbolism.
IELTS General Reading Test
Some believed reverence at pagodas could bring luck to apprentices taking the Chinese civil service examinations. When a pagoda of Yihuang County in Fuzhou collapsed in 1210, local inhabitants believed the disaster correlated with the recent failure of many exam candidates in the prefectural examinations.
The pagoda was rebuilt in 1223 and had a list inscribed on it of the recently successful examination candidates, in hopes that it would reverse the trend and win the county supernatural favour. Pagodas come in many different sizes, with taller ones often attracting lightning strikes, inspiring a tradition that the finial decoration of the top of the structure can keep the demons away. Today many pagodas have been fitted with wires making the finial into a lightning rod.
IELTS General Reading Test
Wooden pagodas possess certain characteristics thought to resist Earthquake damage. These include the friction damping and sliding effect of the complex wooden dougong joints, the structural isolation of floors, the effects of wide eaves analogous to a balancing toy, and the Shinbashira phenomenon that the centre column is bolted to the rest of the superstructure. Shinbashira is responsible for the floor not moving too far at the time of an Earthquake. Pagodas traditionally have an odd number of levels, a notable exception being the eighteenth- century orientalist pagoda designed by Sir William Chambers at Kew Gardens in London. The pagodas in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia are derived from Dravidian architecture, very different from Chinese and Japanese styles.
Questions 14-20
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS for each answer.
14. The stupa was used as an honouring memorial for …………………….. and literature.
15. The style of Chinese fortifications intermingled into ……………………..
16. The Chinese illustrations is conspicuous in …………………….. architectures.
17. In one writing, the writer advocates that in Pagodas, Buddhist representation was merged with ……………………..
18. Some thought that worshiping at pagodas would fetch …………………….. for students.
19. It is believed that the upper erection of pagoda can avert ……………………..
20. The …………………….. prevents the base of the pagoda from sliding in extreme conditions.
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer Questions 21-26.
POTATO
The potato is a source vegetable native to the Americas, a starchy tuber of the plant Solanum tuberosum, and the plant itself, a persistent in the family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found all over the Americas, from the United States to southern Chile. The potato was initially believed to have been tamed by indigenous peoples of the Americas self-reliantly in several locations, but later genetic testing of the extensive variety of cultivars and wild species outlined a single origin for potatoes.
In the area of present-day southern Peru and extreme northwestern Bolivia, from a species in the Solanum brevicaule complex, potatoes were tamed about 7,000-10,000 years ago. In the Andes region of South America, where the species is indigenous, some close relatives of the potato are cultured. Potatoes were familiarized to Europe from the Americas in the concluding half of the 16th century by the Spanish. Over 99% of currently cultivated potatoes worldwide descended from varieties that initiated in the lowlands of south-central Chile, which have displaced previously widespread varieties from the Andes. Today they are a vital food in many parts of the world and an essential part of much of the world’s food supply.
IELTS General Reading Test
As of 2014, potatoes were the world’s fourth-largest food crop after maize (corn), wheat, and rice. Subsequent times of selective breeding, there are now over 1,000 different types of potatoes. The importance of the potato as a food source and culinary element differs by region and is still changing. It remains an important crop in Europe, especially Northern and Eastern Europe, where per capita production is still the maximum in the world, while the quickest expansion in production over the past few decades has happened in southern and eastern Asia, with China and India leading the world in overall production as of 2018.
Normal potato tubers that have been grown and kept properly produce glycoalkaloids in amounts small enough to be insignificant to human health, but if green sections of the plant (namely sprouts and skins) are exposed to light, the tuber can gather a high enough concentration of glycoalkaloids to negatively affect human health. Being a nightshade like tomatoes, the vegetative and fruiting parts of the potato comprise the toxin solanine and are not fit for human consumption.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 21-26
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
YES – If the statement agrees with the claims of the writer.
NO – If the statement contradicts the claims of the writer.
NOT GIVEN – If it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this.
21. The wild potato was first devoured by a South American.
22. Wild potato species can be sporadically found in the Americas.
23. Spanish took potatoes from America to Europe in the latter part of 16th century.
24. At Present potato is an indispensable food in many countries.
25. The significance of the potato as a nutrition resource and cooking ingredient varies by territory.
26. Elevated intensity of glycoalkaloids in potato does not impinge humans.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
14. SACRED RELICS
15. PAGODA ARCHITECTURE
16. EAST ASIAN PAGODA
17. NATIVE CHINESE TRADITION
18. LUCK
19. DEMONS
20. SHINBASHIRA
21. NOT GIVEN
22. NO
23. YES
24. YES
25. YES
26. NO
IELTS General Reading Test