Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 485
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 485 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 485
READING PASSAGE – 1
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for wandering across water. It is different from canoeing with various parameters such as the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler takes a seat facing frontward, legs in front, using a double-bladed paddle to pull front-to-back on one side and then the other in rotation. Most kayaks have closed decks, while sit-on-top and inflatable kayaks are rising in popularity as well.
Kayaks were made thousands of years ago by the Inuit, formerly known as Eskimos, of the northern Arctic regions. They used driftwood and occasionally the skeleton of whale, to construct the frame of the kayak, and animal skin, particularly seal skin was used to create the body. The main idea for creating the kayak, which literally translates to “hunter’s boat” was for hunting and fishing. The kayak’s stealth abilities allowed for the hunter to sneak up behind animals on the shoreline and successfully catch their prey.
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In the 1740s, Russian explorers commanded by Vitus Bering met the Aleutians, who had taken the basic kayak concept and evolved multiple designs specifically for hunting, transportation, and environmental conditions. They soon acknowledged the fact that the Aleutians were very skilful at hunting sea otters by kayak. Since otters were a renowned commodity in Europe and Asia, they would exploit and even kidnap Aleutians and keep them aboard their ships to work and hunt.
By the mid-1800s the kayak became increasingly prevalent and the Europeans became interested. German and French men started kayaking for sport. In 1931, Adolf Anderle was the first person to kayak down the Salzachöfen Gorge, which is believed to be the origin of modern- day white-water kayaking. Kayak races were familiarized in the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936.
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In the 1950s, fibreglass kayaks were developed and commonly used, until 1980s when polyethylene plastic kayaks were initiated. Kayaking progressed as a fringe sport in the U.S. until the 1970s, when it became a mainstream liked sport. Now, more than 10 white water kayaking proceedings are presented in the Olympics. While kayaking signifies a key international water sports, few academic studies have (to date) been directed on the role kayaking plays in the lives and activities of the public
There are different types of kayaks used in flat water and Whitewater kayaking. The sizes and shapes differ considerably depending on what type of water to be paddled on and what the paddler would like to do. The another set of essentials for kayaking is an off-set paddle where the paddle blades are slanted to help lessen wind resistance while the other blade is being used in the water. These differ in length and shape depending on the intended use, height of the paddler, and the paddler’s preference.
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Kayaks should be furnished with one or more buoyancy aid (also called flotation) which builds air space that helps avoid a kayak from sinking when filled with water. A life jacket should always be worn (also called a personal flotation device or PFD), and a helmet is also habitually obligatory for most kayaking and is compulsory for white water kayaking. Various other parts of safety gear include a whistle for indicating for help; throwing ropes to help save other kayakers; and, a diving knife and appropriate water shoes should be used depending upon the risks the water and terrain pose. Proper clothing such as a dry suit, wetsuit or spray top also assists protect kayakers from cold water.
“Sit on top” kayaks place the paddler in an exposed, shallowly concave deck overhead the water level. This style is typically used for non-white water happenings as most find it tougher to stay inside the kayak while also averting them from “rolling” which occupancies the user to upright themselves if they flip over.
There are some benefits to sit on tops such as the ability for a “dry hatch” these are a compartment, that usually runs the length of the kayak, which in addition to providing more buoyancy allows for the kayaker to stock various equipment in. “Sit on top” kayaks usually use “through holes” which allows any water that got in the boat to make it through the deck and dry hatch to drain.
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“Cockpit style” involves sitting with the legs and hips inside the kayak hull with a spray deck or “spray skirt” that builds a water-resistant seal round the waist. There is a wide range of “cockpit style” boats which usually allow for more user control of the boat as they can push against the walls of the boat to tip in order to complete manoeuvres.
A common variant of “cockpit style” kayaks are “play boats” these are typically very short kayaks in which the operator ensures tricks and manoeuvres: “Inflatables” are an amalgam of the two prior configurations; these boats have an exposed deck, but the paddler sits underneath the level of the deck. These boats are frequently subject to more ambiguity due to the way the boat sits higher in the water. They are typically used in a more viable setting; they are often affectionately called “Duckies”. “Tandems” are shaped for multiple paddlers, in contrast to the single person designs featured by most kayaks. Tandems can be used by two or even three paddlers.
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Questions 1-7
Write no more than THREE WORDS for each answer
1. Kayaking involves the use of a kayak in water, but it is unlike ………………..
2. Most kayaks have closed decks, while other type of Kayaks is growing in ………………..
3. Thousands of years ago, Kayaks were made in ………………..
4. Apart from using driftwood, frames of Kayaks were also made by using Seal skin and ………………..
5. The main reason for creating Kayak was for ……………….. and ………………..
6. Kayaking as a race sport was presented at ……………….. in 1930s.
7. In 1980s ……………….. Kayaks were introduced.
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Questions 8-13
Write no more than THREE WORDS for each answer
8. Along with a life jacket, ……………….. is compulsory while doing white water Kayaking.
9. ……………….. is used to help save other Kayakers.
10. Appropriate clothing saves Kayakers from ………………..
11. ……………….. type of Kayaks is used for non-white water happenings.
12. ……………….. Kayaks comprises sitting with the legs and hips inside the kayak hull.
13. The kayak that can be used by multiple Kayakers is ………………..
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ANSWERS
1. CANOEING
2. POPULARITY
3. NORTHERN ARCTIC REGIONS
4. SKELETON OF WHALE
5. HUNTING, FISHING
6. BERLIN OLYMPIC GAMES
7. PLASTIC
8. HELMET
9. THROWING ROPES
10. COLD WATER
11. SIT ON TOP
12. COCKPIT STYLE
13. TANDEMS
IELTS Academic Reading Test