Tool Reading Scanning

7/30/2019 Tool Reading Scanning

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Scanning Practice

An Aid to Reading

Copyright Mascot Corporation Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.


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The Purpose of this Tool

This tool provides you with valuable practice in scanning.

To do well in IELTS academic Reading you must have well-developed scanning skills. Make sure you are familiar withhow to scan (you might like to review Reading Lesson 3,Locating Answers Quickly)

Your goal is to scan the following passages for the listedwords and synonyms. (Note: The passages are of standardIELTS length, around 1000 words).

Instructions

1. You may want to print this document.2. Take careful notice of the Words to Find BEFORE you

proceed to the following passage.3. Scan the passage for the key words OR synonyms of the key

words. Take note of the line number.4. You should take no longer than 30 seconds to find the exact

word and no longer than 60 seconds to find the synonym!5. Check your answers with the supplied answers.


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Passage 1:

WORDS TO FIND

Scan the text looking for the exactwords:

1. twenty five thousand2. ophthalmic3. carbon dioxide4. phenomenon5. pond

Scan the text looking for synonyms of thefollowing:

1. device2. operation3. knife4. artificial5. release


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The Powerof Light

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The last century has seen many technological discoveries. The oddest andperhaps most useful however was made in 1954 the laser. Laser light is sopowerful that it has reached the moon, and so fiery that it can burn a hole throughasbestos and bricks.

The word laseris an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission orRadiation. There are two commonly used lasers: one, a glass tube filled withhelium, nitrogen or carbon dioxide gas; the other, a rod of synthetic ruby crystalenclosed in an enameled steel box. Both types have shutter-like devices controllingthe release of light.

When the gases or ruby crystals are exposed to intense bolts of light much likethe emission of light in a camera - an extraordinary phenomenon occurs. It occursin the subatomic particles orbiting the nucleus. There are no non-technical words todescribe this phenomenon among the orbiting particles of the material being lased.Scientists point out that the bolts of light so excite these particles that they workthemselves up to an energy level much higher than normal. Then, when they relaxto their normal state, they discharge the excess energy in the form of light waves.

An ordinary fluorescent light is also an example of energy which escapes fromparticles of mercury vapour excited by a current of electricity. The differencehowever, is that ordinary white light shooting from a bulb in all directions exhaustsits energy before it reaches the far corners of a room. Like ripples in a pond, lighttravels in waves. The distance from one crest to the next is called a wavelength.Because ordinary white light is made up of waves having different wavelengths, thewaves tumble over one another while traveling in every direction. A laser, on theother hand, prevents light from spreading out and wasting its energy. Inside thelaser is a mechanism that holds light down to a single wavelength, will all the lightwaves moving in the same direction. The result is a light with waves that nevercollide but instead lend each other strength.

The strong, straight rays of laser light have amazing powers at either long or shortrange. Because they can travel for immense distances without dispersing, a laserbeam traveling 408, 773 kilometers to the moon lights up a spot only 3 or 4kilometers wide. Assuming it were possible for an ordinary searchlight to be shone

over the same distance, it would spread out over twenty five thousand miles. Overshort ranges, a focused laser light can generate tremendous heat, three timeshotter than the temperature of the sun.

The most accurate device used for measuring is also a laser. For example, a testconducted over a distance of 30 kilometers, revealed that the laser was only out by1.4 millimeters. A laser is more is more precise than radar. With a radar, the timean electronic pulse takes to reach and return from a target tells the distance of the


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target. A flash of light from a laser also reveals distance by bouncing back from atarget but with far greater accuracy. A radar tracking satellite only a hundred milesout in space has an error of about twenty feet, but a laser range-finder can measureto within 15 centimeters the distance to a satellite equipped with light-reflectingmirrors.

The world of medical science has benefited from the laser. Medical lasers are nowused as a kind of scalpel. The first use of the laser as a medical cutting instrumentstarted with the Excimer laser. Originally used for etching silicone computer chipsin the 1970s, in 1982, Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasin,J ames Wynne, and SamuelBlum, saw the potential of the Excimer laser in interacting with biological tissue.Srinivasin and his team saw that you could remove tissue with a laser withoutcausing any heat damage to the neighboring material. A New York Cityophthalmologist, Steven Trokel, saw the potential of the laser in connection with thehuman eye, in particular the cornea. This led to Trokel performing the first lasersurgery on a patient's eyes in 1987.Trokel patented the Excimer laser for visioncorrection. The next ten years were spent perfecting the equipment and thetechniques used in laser eye surgery. In 1996, the first Excimer laser for ophthalmicrefractive use was approved in the United States.

Since the laser can be controlled and can have such a small contact area it is idealfor fine cutting and depth control. Medical lasers can also be used to reattachretinas and can be used in conjunction with fiber optics to place the laser beamwhere it needs to be. They are used to great effect in stitching up incisions aftersurgery by fusing the skin together. Dentists are using them increasingly. Thereare a variety of uses, from cavity removal to teeth whitening lasers have been usedto good effect. They are even used to remove bacteria from periodontal pocketsand in reshaping the gum line.

An invention ranging in usefulness from the correction of a satellite's orbit to theerasure of a typist's mistake must be regarded as one of the greatest technicalachievements in history. In the words of Dr. Andreeson, Laser expert, "Lasersunquestionably have uses that we haven't as yet even dreamed of. As a mater offact, present day lasers are as primitive as airplanes were in 1910. We can be surethat their future is a bright as their brilliant light."
http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/173.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/174.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/172.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/172.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/172.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/172.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/174.htmlhttp://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.invent.org/hall%5Fof%5Ffame/173.html


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Passage 1:

ANSWERS


1. twenty five thousand (line 36)2. ophthalmic (line 61)3. carbon dioxide (line 8)4. phenomenon (lines 13 & 15)

5. pond (line 23)


1. device (line 28 mechanism)2. operation (lines 59, 61 & 68 surgery)3. knife (line 51 scalpel)4. artificial (line 8 synthetic)5. release (line 18 discharge)


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Passage 2:

WORDS TO FIND


1. twelve2. inherent3. computer4. five5. portable


1. knife2. distressed3. movable4. in-depth5. exclusively


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Identifying Criminals

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The skill of the police artist in sketching a suspect from witnesses' descriptions has been aninvaluable identification tool, particularly when the suspect has never had contact with the

law and is not on record in police files. On many occasions, the drawing of a suspect basedupon verbal input has resulted in criminals being brought to justice.

As valuable as a sketch has proved, a freehand drawing is laborious taking from severalhours to a full day with the details relating to the suspect being a verbal imagecommunicated by a witness who often lacks descriptive ability, is emotionally distraughtand may even be uncooperative. Given the inherent difficulties, a short cut was suggested:instead of drawing eyes, lips, a nose and other facial features, an artist should pre-drawhundreds of individual features resulting in ultimately a whole face according to the oraldescription of a witness This would enable the witness to select those features that matchmost closely that of the suspects.

The technical services division of the Los Angeles county sheriffs department were amongthe first to adopt the new theory. Fingerprints, with their infinite patterns and varieties hadbeen standardised, it was supposed that faces too, could be also standardised. In his sparetime, Hugh C. McDonald began the arduous task of analysing thousands of photographs ofthe human face in order to organize the features into key groups. The ambitious programwas stifled in the 1940s due to World War II but was revived again in the mid-1950s. Aftera five year design period, officials from a manufacturing company in California provided thefinancing, facilities and technical know-how which helped to bring the idea to completion.

After countless numbers of experiments, a total of 544 different facial components were

realised and the whole project was namedIdenti-Kit. The component parts were thenarranged into twelve categories including age lines, beards and moustaches, chin lines, eyes,face colours and other facial features. These were then placed into a portable box whichallowed a user to reproduce 62 billion composite pictures.

During his exhaustive search, McDonald uncovered a number of immutable laws governingthe construction of the face. For example, if a witness says that the suspect was a short, fatman with a thin face, you can be certain that the witness is wrong. His work also uncoveredthat one or more known features will suggest those features which are unknown. With theknowledge of natures usual order, a bank teller who only saw a tall man with a nylonstocking over his face, may be able to construct his face based on a pointy chin and high

forehead. Likewise hair colour also contributes to the final constructed product some haircolours, such as blonde or red, are more readily identifiable than others such as black andbrown.

When it was released into the marketplace, Identi-Kit was enthusiastically adopted in tens ofthousands of police departments all over the word. In England in 1961, Scotland Yardpublicly issued sketches constructed by an Identi-Kit. The body of a 53 year old womanwith an ornate oriental dagger piercing her head had been found in a dimly lit souvenir shop


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in London. Scotland Yard detectives located two persons who had seen a swarthy, thin-jawed East Indian talking with her in the shop the day of the murder. A detective-sergeantwho had only recently completed the Identi-Kit training course constructed two sketches ofthe suspect one from each of the two witnesses. Four days later the sketches were widelydistributed across TV and newspaper and amongst Scotland police. A constable spotted a

man resembling the sketches. The man was taken into custody and in time, confessed to themurder.

Even though a court will not convict on evidence based solely on Identi-Kit, it has been agreat tool in helping police and detectives to locate criminals. Substantial improvements inphotography have led to even more sophisticated methods of assisting law enforcers withthe identification of criminals namely, Photofit. The same principles apply as with Identi-Kit, except the computer has made the process more efficient. Instead of constructing animage manually, data and photographs of existing criminals are stored in gigantic memoriesand quickly and easily matched. The process is very much the same, indeed, accessing thedatabases still proceeds along the lines of the 'characteristic features' that were employed atthe turn of the century. Another big difference is the quality of the reconstructions. Farmore than simply pieces of a face stuck together, the end result is more like a completedphoto bearing much more detail.


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Passage 2:

ANSWERS


1. twelve (line 26)2. inherent (line 9)3. computer (line 56)4. five (line 21)5. portable (line 27)


1. knife (line 43 dagger)2. distressed (line 8 distraught)3. movable (line 27 portable)4. in-depth (line 30 exhaustive)5. exclusively (line 52 solely)


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Passage 3:

WORDS TO FIND


1. six2. possibility3. semi-arid4. ashes5. modest


1. study2. dampness3. small branches4. hint5. carried out


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Trees That Tell A Story

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From a position high up over an area of land, scientists are able to make very accurate

assumptions about mineral deposits by studying the plant life that grows nearby. Thescience of geobotany the study of rocks and growing things has proved that flora canindicate not only the location but also the amount and richness of the mineral. Based on thenotion that minerals are reflected chemically via surface vegetation, geobotany has made itrelatively easy for scientists to locate mineral sources.

In British Columbia, Canada a number of scientists gathered various samples of flora leaves, roots and pine cones. The samples were returned to a laboratory where they werescientifically analysed for their mineral content. A careful investigation revealed 4 parts permillion (p.p.m.) traces of gold in the roots, 2 p.p.m in the branches and an average of 1.6p.p.m in pine cones. Those cones growing nearest the trunk contained more gold than on

the outer tips of the branches.

The strong indication of gold in the area due to the analysis of the nearby pine trees led togeologists boring for further gold deposits. Further examination revealed several goldveinletswell worth mining. Certain other specific types of pines growing in the area werealso examined and revealed similar parts per million of gold. Thus, geologists extrapolateda hypothesis: wherever certain groups pine trees are growing, there is a high possibility thatgold may be located underneath. This tree-identification method has worked verysuccessfully yielding other gold-bearing areas.

There is another valuable substance that scientists are in search of, uranium. Rock testing,

boring and Geiger-counter techniques are all expensive ways to look for deposits. However,it has been proven that wherever uranium is found, soil is also rich in sulphur and selenium.Geobotanists figured that by exploring known uranium areas they could learn whether or notvegetation would provide a clue to the new locations of the sought-after mineral. Ananalysis of trees, plants, flowers and shrubs at a test location in New Mexico wasundertaken. Plants known to require sulphur for flourishing growth were examined indetail. Cuttings were burned to ashes, then chemically treated for the removal of seleniumand sulphur. The material left over was shown to be uranium. Once again, vegetation wasproven to be an indicator that the desired mineral was beneath the ground.

While scientists were able to determine uranium was located in New Mexico, what was not

known was the amount. In order to determine the amount, roots of trees were thought to bea good place to start the analysis. It is common for tree roots in a semi-arid land like NewMexico to sometimes bore down 30 meters in search of life-giving moisture. Roots of thetrees in various regions were dug from as deep as possible and cut off at each successivemeter downwards. When tested, the roots gave stronger and stronger indications of thepresence of uranium at deeper and deeper levels. The same investigations were carried outin other area where only modest deposits of uranium were known to occur. This time thesurrounding flora was only barely alive. The roots were pathetically weak and the trees


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contained only very little uranium. Scientists then knew with some certainty that plantsindicating thelocationof uranium could also be used to evaluate theconcentrationof thedeposit.

Certain visible vegetation has also been proven to show not only where and how much, but

also an exact outline of the amounts of copper in a given area. Teams of AmericanGeobotanists flying over parts of California photographed certain areas of vegetation. Theysaw Mexican blue oak and evergreen Emory oak both growing to heights of approximatelysix meters. The incredible growth of this vegetation known to grow well where soils wereoxidized ore is abundant confirmed that copper was below the ground. Another prolificplant in the area was the California poppy. Tests on twigs and roots of the tow kinds of oakproduced evidence of a heavy concentration of copper. The poppies contained some copperbut not enough to encourage scientific prospectors thus they discouraged prospecting andsaved a considerable amount of monetary outlay - they proved to be as valuable as the oaks.

Many other vital minerals are being found today by Geobotanists. New combinations ofvegetation indicating deposits of metals are still being uncovered. Some scientists believethat in the search for specific minerals there may be a best season for observingvegetation. Perhaps colour itself the intensity and hue of various plants will be a clue tomineral deposits. Plants are certainly helping to take the guess work out of mineral andmetal exploration.


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Passage 3:

ANSWERS


1. six (line 51)2. possibility (line 19)3. semi-arid (line 36)4. ashes (line 30)5. modest (line 41)


1. study (line 10 investigation)2. dampness (line 37 moisture)3. small branches (line 53 twigs)4. hint (lines 27 & 61 clue)5. carried out (line 29 undertaken)

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Tool Reading Scanning