Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 483
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 483 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 483
READING PASSAGE – 1
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of wired computer networking technologies commonly used in local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN) and wide area networks (WAN). It was commercially introduced in 1980 and first standardized in 1983 as IEEE 802.3. Ethernet has since been refined to support higher bit rates, a greater number of nodes, and longer link distances, but retains much backward compatibility. Over time, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies such as Token Ring, FDDI and ARCNET.
The original 10BASE5 Ethernet uses coaxial cable as a shared medium, while the newer Ethernet variants use twisted pair and fibre optic links with switches. Over the course of its history, Ethernet data transfer rates have been increased from the original 2.94 megabits per second (Mbit/s) to the latest 400 gigabits per second (Gbit/s). The Ethernet standards comprise several wirings and signalling variants of the OSI physical layer in use with Ethernet. Systems communicating over Ethernet divide a stream of data into shorter pieces called frames.
IELTS General Reading Test
Each frame contains source and destination addresses, and error-checking data so that damaged frames can be detected and discarded; most often, higher-layer procedures trigger retransmission of absent frames. Per the OSI model, Ethernet provides services up to and including the data link layer. The 48-bit MAC address was adopted by other IEEE 802 networking standards, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), as well as by FDDI.
EtherType values are also used in Subnetwork Access Protocol (SNAP) headers. Ethernet is widely used in homes and industry and interworks well with wireless Wi-Fi technologies. The Internet Protocol is commonly carried over Ethernet and so it is considered one of the key technologies that make up the Internet.
IELTS General Reading Test
Ethernet has evolved to include higher bandwidth, improved medium access control methods, and different physical media. The coaxial cable was put in place of the point-to-point links connected by Ethernet repeaters or switches. Ethernet stations communicate by sending each other data packets: blocks of data individually sent and delivered. As with other IEEE 802 LANS, adapters come programmed with globally unique 48-bit MAC address so that each Ethernet station has a unique address.
The MAC addresses are used to specify both the destination and the source of each data packet. Ethernet establishes link-level connections, which can be defined using both the destination and source addresses. On reception of a transmission, the receiver uses the destination address to determine whether the transmission is relevant to the station or should be ignored. A network interface normally does not accept packets addressed to other Ethernet stations.
IELTS General Reading Test
An EtherType field in each frame is used by the operating system on the receiving station to select the appropriate protocol module (e.g., an Internet Protocol version such as IPv4). Ethernet frames are said to be self-identifying, because of the EtherType field. Self-identifying frames make it possible to intermix multiple protocols on the same physical network and allow a single computer to use multiple protocols together.
Despite the evolution of Ethernet technology, all generations of Ethernet use the same frame formats, Mixed-speed networks can be built using Ethernet switches and repeaters supporting the desired Ethernet variants. Due to the ubiquity of Ethernet, and the ever-decreasing cost of the hardware needed to support it, most manufacturers now build Ethernet interfaces directly into PC motherboards, eliminating the need for a separate network card.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 1-7
Write no more than THREE WORDS and/or numbers for each answer.
1. Latest Ethernet options use contorted pair and fibre optic connections in conjunction with ……………….
2. Frames are the distribution of ………………. into tinier fragments.
3. The higher-layer protocols prompt ………………. of vanished frames.
4. The point-to-point links were swapped by ………………. , linked by ethernet switches.
5. The MAC addresses are employed to stipulate the target as well as the ………………. of all data packet.
6. Blending several protocols on the similar physical network is only made feasible by ……………….
7. Due to Ethernet’s omnipresence, nearly all firms are now building Ethernet interfaces straight into computer’s ……………….
IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer questions 8-14.
Starlink
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access. The constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced smart satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO), which communicate with designated ground transceivers. The SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington houses the Starlink research development, manufacturing, and orbit control teams. The cost of the decade-long project to design, build, and deploy the constellation was estimated by SpaceX in May 2018 to be at least US$10 billion.
Product development began in 2015. Two prototype test-flight satellites were launched in February 2018. Additional test satellites and 60 operational satellites were deployed in May 2019. SpaceX launches up to 60 satellites at a time, aiming to deploy 1,584 of the 260 kg (570 lb) spacecraft to provide near-global service by late 2022. SpaceX started a private beta service in the Northern United States in August 2020 and a public beta in October 2020, service beginning at high latitudes between 44° and 52° North.
IELTS General Reading Test
On 15 October 2019, the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submitted filings to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on SpaceX’s behalf to arrange spectrum for 30,000 additional Starlink satellites to supplement the 12,000 Starlink satellites already approved by the FCC. Astronomers have raised concerns about the constellations’ effect on ground-based astronomy and how the satellites will add to an already jammed orbital environment. This prompted conversations about the ethics of a single company unilaterally changing the night sky’s appearance worldwide. In response, SpaceX has implemented several upgrades to Starlink satellites aimed at reducing their brightness during operation.
The deployment of the first 1,440 satellites will be into 72 orbital planes of 20 satellites each, with a requested lower minimum elevation angle of beams to improve reception: 25° rather than the 40° of the other two orbital shells. SpaceX launched the first 60 satellites of the constellation in May 2019 into a 450 km orbit and expected up to six launches in 2019 at that time, with 720 satellites (12 x 60) for continuous coverage in 2020. In August 2019, SpaceX expected four more launches in 2019 and at least nine launches in 2020, but since January 2020 expectations had increased to 24 total launches in 2020. In March 2020, SpaceX reported producing six satellites per day.
IELTS General Reading Test
Starlink satellites are also planned to launch on Starship launch vehicle, an under-development rocket of SpaceX that will launch 400 satellites at a time. In February 2021, Musk stated that the satellites are traveling on 25 orbital planes clustered between 53° north and south of the equator.
Questions 8-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
TRUE – If the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE – If the statement contradicts the information.
NOT GIVEN – If there is no information on this.
IELTS General Reading Test
8. There are thousands of bulk-manufactured miniature satellites flying in low earth orbit known as Starlink.
9. The cost of designing Starlink satellites was more than the cost of its production.
10. SpaceX has the capacity to release more than 1584 satellites in one go.
11. There are apprehensions about Starlink satellites adding to the orbital traffic.
12. SpaceX is working to augment the glare of Starlink satellites throughout operation.
13. The placement of the first batch of 20 satellites in 72 orbits will be positioned at a higher angle at 40°.
14. The Starship can launch the greatest number of satellites than any other launch vehicle.
IELTS General Reading Test
IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
1. SWITCHES
2. STREAM OF DATA
3. RETRANSMISSION
4. COAXIAL CABLE
5. SOURCE
6. SELF-IDENTIFYING FRAMES
7. MOTHERBOARDS
8. FALSE
9. NOT GIVEN
10. FALSE
11. TRUE
12. FALSE
13. FALSE
14. NOT GIVEN
IELTS General Reading Test