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IELTS Reading Passage: Moles happy as homes go underground
Moles happy as homes go underground
A. Workmen tramping through a field uncovered a skinny steel chimney, which is how the public first learned about Dutchman Frank Siegmund and his family. A little skylight window could be seen through the thistles, and when the curious explorers down the hillside, they found a pine door with diamond-patterned leaded glass and a brass knocker leading to an underground structure. The Siegmunds had been able to remain hidden for six years just outside the Dutch city of Breda. They’re the newest of a band of fiercely independent housewives who’ve gone underground in quest of peace and quiet.
B. Most people have been compelled to abandon their unconventional dwellings and return to more mainstream ways of living because of stringent building rules. Yet, underground suburbs in the Dutch model are soon to be viewed as trendy and upmarket. Seven posh residences, each nestled within a high earth-covered noise barrier adjacent to Tilburg’s major city road, have lately been put up for sale, at a price tag of $296,500. Customers were already waiting in line to purchase the unique partially submerged homes, which have a grassy mound for a back wall and a long glass gallery for a front wall.
C. There are many potential spies, not just the Dutch. More and more people around Europe are going below to build their homes, workplaces, nightclubs, and malls. Evidence of this style of life can be seen in places with extreme weather conditions, such as Montreal, Canada, where residents can take refuge from the winter cold in an underground shopping and medical complex. Since 90% of Japan’s population lives on only 20% of the country’s land, architects in Tokyo are building an enormous underground city to be begun in the next decade, and underground retail malls are already commonplace in a country where 90% of the population lives in a 20% space.
D. It is possible to protect a beautiful or “environmentally sensitive” landscape by constructing massive commercial buildings underneath. In fact, many of the land-hungry structures, such as movie theatres, grocery stores, theatres, warehouses, and libraries, might be built underground because they have no use for windows.
E. When it comes to private residences, there are also significant benefits. There would be half as many roads if a housing development of 194 units, which would consume 14 hectares of land above ground, were built below ground on 2.7 hectares of land. The soundproofing and thermal insulation qualities of several meters of dirt are greatly improved. For similar dwellings in Britain, contact Peter Carpenter, secretary of the British Earth Sheltering Association. “We receive 40 to 50 inquiries per week,” he notes. Many regard this as an investment in the future. Carpenter, who also lives underground, uses solar panels and natural insulation to keep warm without ever having to pay for it.
F. The problem in Europe has been conservative local authorities and builders that wish to ensure speedy sales with traditional mass-built houses. South Limburg planners, meanwhile, greeted the development with unconcealed relief due to Holland’s severe land shortage. Jo Hurkmans, an architect from Tilburg, came up with the concept of installing noise embankments along major thoroughfares. His separate houses, which have two stories and four bedrooms, and two bathrooms, are taking shape. He explains that rather than being underground, “they are in the earth.” The glass facade, which extends from the second story down to the ground, will be the only source of illumination. The back is where you’ll find the rooms that don’t require as much window space. The living quarters are up front, where it’s brighter, so no one will ever suspect anything amiss in the back.
G. More than ten thousand underground homes have been constructed in the United States since the 1973 oil crisis sparked a movement towards more environmentally friendly housing options. Currently under construction in Nottinghamshire is the first underground development in the United Kingdom, a terrace of five residences. The Olivetti residential center in Ivrea is Italy’s most impressive example of an underground building. As a hotel/home complex for Olivetti staff, Roberto Olivetti commissioned its construction in 1969. It consists of 82 studio apartments and 12 maisonettes. It is set on a hillside, so the only visible part is the glass front. Patnzia Vallecchi, who has lived there since 1992, claims that life here is not drastically different from that in any other type of flat.
H. The Japanese Shimizu Corporation has developed “space creation” devices that aim to stimulate people who must spend extended periods of time underground by combining factors such as light, music, breezes, and aromas, as not everyone is able to adapt effectively to such conditions. Subterranean workplaces in Japan are getting “virtual” windows and mirrors, and those at the University of Minnesota have periscopes to let in more light and let in more of the outside world below ground.
I. And yet, hobbit life is perfect for Frank Siegmund and his loved ones. He first erected a hill to house a cold room for his bakery. They slept there through the heat wave. There was a sense of calm and connection to nature, he says. I started expanding the space gradually. Even though it may sound unusual, we actually gain power from the earth’s vibrations due to our proximity to it. Our kids absolutely adore having the rabbits as neighbors, as not all kids can say that bunnies peek into their playroom windows.
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IELTS Reading Questions: Moles happy as homes go underground
Questions 1-8
Reading Passage has nine paragraphs (A-I). Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-xii) in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.Paragraph A has been done for you as an example. NB There are more headings than paragraphs so you will not use all of them.
| List of Headings i. Examples of Underground Housing Throughout the World ii. Pre-construction sales of homes iii. Construction blueprints for new houses iv. An underground dwelling is unearthed v. Creating a global network of subsurface infrastructure vi. Making an artificial version of the great outdoors vii. This architect gives a tour of his residences viii. The health benefits of a subterranean lifestyle ix. There is less need for resources like space and power x. Not all structures need to have windows because they can function without sunlight xi. Most people favor more traditional forms of dwelling xii. The history of a residence built below ground |
Example Answer
Paragraph A xii
Paragraph B
Paragraph C
Paragraph D
Paragraph E
Paragraph F
Paragraph G
Paragraph H
Paragraph I
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Questions 9-11
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the reading passage. Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 9-11 on your answer sheet.9. The Hurkman family has homes constructed into __________________.
10. _____________________ were happy to hear about the Dutch innovation.
11. A lot of builders favor factory-made residences since they are _____________.
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Questions 12-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 12-14 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in passage
12. The Ivrea facility was designed for Olivetti staff.
13. Japanese underground offices include periscopes to reflect light and views.
14. The first underground room of Frank Siegmund was utilized for sleeping during the heatwave.
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Moles happy as homes go underground reading answers
1. ii
2. v
3. x
4. ix
5. vii
6. i
7. vi
8. xii
9. noise embankments
10. South Limburg planners
11. speedy sales
12. True
13. False
14. False
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