BEST IELTS General Reading Test 482

BEST IELTS General Reading Test 482

IELTS General Reading Test

The Forbidden City

A. The Forbidden City is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the 22-hectare Zhongshan Park, the sacrificial Imperial Ancestral Temple, the 69-hectare Beihai Park, and the 23-hectare (57-acre) Jingshan Park.

The Forbidden City was constructed from 1406 to 1420 and was the former Chinese imperial palace and winter residence of the Emperor of China from the Ming dynasty (since the Yongle Emperor) to the end of the Qing dynasty, between 1420 and 1924. The Forbidden City served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government for over 500 years.

IELTS General Reading Test

Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987.

B. The complex consists of 980 buildings, encompassing 8,886 rooms and covering 720,000 square metres. The palace exemplifies the opulence of the residences of the Chinese emperor and the traditional Chinese palatial architecture and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. It is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. Since 2012, the Forbidden City has seen an average of 14 million visitors annually and received more than 19 million visitors in 2019.

IELTS General Reading Test

The Forbidden City’s market value has been estimated at US$70 billion, making it both the world’s most valuable palace and the most valuable piece of real estate anywhere in the world. Some sources describe it as the largest palace in the world still in existence, but other Chinese imperial residences far exceed it in size, namely the 6.1 km2 Zhongnanhai which lies just west of the Forbidden City, the 2.9 km2 Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing, and the 5.6 km2 Chengde Mountain Resort in Chengde, Hebei Province.

C. Traditionally, the Forbidden City which is divided into two parts has the Outer Court or Front Court includes the southern sections and was used for ceremonial purposes and the Inner Court or Back Palace includes the northern sections and was the residence of the emperor and his family and was used for day-to-day affairs of state. Generally, the Forbidden City has three vertical axes.

IELTS General Reading Test

The most important buildings are situated on the central north-south axis. Entering from the Meridian Gate, one encounters a large square, pierced by the meandering Inner Golden Water River, which is crossed by five bridges. Beyond the square stands the Gate of Supreme Harmony. Behind that is the Hall of Supreme Harmony Square. A three-tiered white marble terrace rises from this square. Three halls stand on top of this terrace, the focus of the palace complex. From the south, these are the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

D. The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest and rises some 30 metres above the level of the surrounding square. It is the ceremonial centre of imperial power, and the largest surviving wooden structure in China. It is nine bays wide and five bays deep, the numbers 9 and 5 being symbolically connected to the majesty of the emperor.

IELTS General Reading Test

Set into the ceiling at the centre of the hall is an intricate caisson decorated with a coiled dragon, from the mouth of which issues a chandelier-like set of metal balls, called the “Xuanyuan Mirror”. In the Ming dynasty, the emperor held court here to discuss affairs of state. During the Qing dynasty, as Emperors held court far more frequently, a less ceremonious location was used instead, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony was only used for ceremonial purposes, such as coronations, investitures, and imperial weddings.

Which paragraph contains the following information? Write correct letter A-D in your answer sheet.

NB you may use any letter more than once.

1. Recorded as the prime gathering of conserved antique wooden edifices by a world leading scientific and cultural organisation.

2. Household of the Emperor of China between 15th and 20th century.

3. Diverse portions of the Forbidden City used for unalike purposes.

4. The custody of the Forbidden City held by a gallery.

5. The most substantial persisting wooden construction in China.

6. The most treasured property in the world.

7. A gallery that was only used for rituals.

IELTS General Reading Test

Electric cars

An electric car is a car that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using energy stored in rechargeable batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quieter, have no exhaust emissions, and lower releases overall. In the United States, as of 2020, the total value of ownership of recent EVS is cheaper than that of equivalent ICE cars, due to lower fuelling and maintenance costs.

Charging an electric car can be done at a variety of charging stations; these charging stations can be installed in both houses and public areas. Several countries have established government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles, tax credits, subsidies, and other non-monetary incentives. Several countries have established a phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles, and California, which is one of the largest vehicle markets, has an executive order to ban sales of new gasoline powered vehicles no later than 2035.

IELTS General Reading Test

The Tesla Model 3, which has a maximum range of 570 km (353 miles) according to the EPA, has been the world’s best-selling electric vehicle (EV) on an annual basis since 2018, and became the world’s all-time best-selling electric car in early 2020. Earlier models with widespread adoption include the Japanese Mitsubishi i-MiEV and the Nissan Leaf. As of December 2019, the global stock of pure electric passenger cars totalled 4.8 million units, representing two-thirds of all plug- in passenger cars in use.

In 2019, over half (54%) of the world’s all-electric car fleet was in China. Despite rapid growth, the global stock of fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars represented about 1 out of every 200 vehicles (0.48%) on the world’s roads by the end of 2019, of which pure electrics comprised 0.32%. By the end of 2020 there were more than 10 million electric cars sold, an increase of 41% from prior year, according to an International Energy Agency report.

IELTS General Reading Test

As of 2020 in the United States, the total cost of ownership of electric cars is less than comparable ICE cars, due to the lower cost of fuelling and maintenance, more than making up for the higher initial cost. The greater the distance driven per year, the more likely the total cost of ownership for an electric car will be less than for an equivalent ICE car.

The breakeven distance varies by country depending on the taxes, subsidies, and different costs of energy. In some countries the comparison may vary by city, as a type of car may have different charges to enter different cities; for example, the UK city of London charges ICE cars more than the UK city of Birmingham does.

IELTS General Reading Test

When designing an electric vehicle, manufacturers may find that for low production, converting existing platforms may be cheaper, as development cost is lower, however, for higher production, a dedicated platform may be preferred to optimize design, and cost. As of 2020, the electric vehicle battery is more than a quarter of the total cost of the car. Purchase prices are expected to drop below those of new ICE cars when battery costs fall below US$100 per kWh, which is forecast to be in the mid-2020s. Leasing or subscriptions are popular in some countries, depending somewhat on national taxes and subsidies, and end of lease cars are expanding the second-hand market.

Write no more than THREE WORDS and/or numbers for each answer.

8. An electric car has relatively ………………….. discharges in general.

9. The overall cost of possession of electric cars is ………………….. as compared to internal combustion engine vehicles.

10. A US state to prohibit sales of certain types of vehicles by …………………..

11. The complete price of tenure for owning an EV is reduced for the reason that the expenses for ………………….. and ………………….. are inferior.

12. The one downside of EVs is that they have a ………………….. preliminary price.

13. The EV can be breakeven with an ICE car in terms of cost, but it will differ on the basis of levies, subventions and dissimilar …………………..

14. The price of EVs could reduce if there is drop in the price of …………………..

IELTS General Reading Test

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BEST IELTS General Reading Test 482

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IELTS General Reading Test

1. B

2. A

3. C

4. A

5. D

6. B

7. D

8. LOWER

9. CHEAPER

10. 2035

11. FUELLING, MAINTENANCE

12. HIGHER

13. COSTS OF ENERGY

14. BATTERY

IELTS General Reading Test

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