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California’s age of Megafires
A There’s a reason fire squads now battling more than a dozen blazes in southern California are having such difficulty containing the flames, despite better preparedness than ever and decades of experience fighting fires fanned by the notorious Santa Ana winds. The wildfires themselves, experts say, generally are hotter, move faster, and spread more erratically than in the past.
B The short-term explanation is that the region, which usually has dry summers, has had nine inches less rain than normal this year. Longer-term, climate change across the West is leading to hotter days on average and longer fire seasons. Experts say this is likely to yield more megafires like the conflagrations that this week forced evacuations of at least 300,000 residents in California’s southland and led President Bush to declare a disaster emergency in seven counties on Tuesday.
C Megafires, also called “siege fires,” are the increasingly frequent blazes that burn 500,000 acres or more – 10 times the size of the average forest fire of 20 years ago. One of the current wildfires is the sixth biggest in California ever, in terms of acreage burned, according to state figures and news reports. The trend to more superhot fires, experts say, has been driven by a century-long policy of the US Forest Service to stop wildfires as quickly as possible. The unintentional consequence was to halt the natural eradication of underbrush, now the primary fuel for megafires. Three other factors contribute to the trend, they add. First is climate change marked by a 1-degree F. rise in average yearly temperature across the West. Second is a fire season that on average is 78 days longer than in the late 1980s. The third is the increased building of homes and other structures in wooded areas.
D “We are increasingly building our homes … in fire-prone ecosystems,” says Dominik Kulakowski, adjunct professor of biology at Clark University Graduate School of Geography in Worcester, Mass. Doing that “in many of the forests of the Western US … is like building homes on the side of an active volcano.” In California, where population growth has averaged more than 600,000 a year for at least a decade, housing has pushed into such areas. “What once was open space is now residential homes providing fuel to make fires burn with greater intensity,” says Terry McHale of the California Department of Forestry firefighters union. “With so much dryness, so many communities to catch fire, so many fronts to fight, it becomes an almost incredible job.”
E That said, many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness since 2003, when the largest fires in state history scorched 750,000 acres, burned 3,640 homes, and killed 22 people. Stung then by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread when they might have been contained, personnel are meeting the peculiar challenges of a neighborhood – and canyon-hopping fires better than in recent years, observers say.
F State promises to provide newer engines, planes, and helicopters have been fulfilled. Firefighters unions that then complained of dilapidated equipment, old fire engines and insufficient blueprints for fire safety are now praising the state’s commitment, noting that funding for firefighting has increased despite huge cuts in many other programs. “We are pleased that the Schwarzenegger administration has been very proactive in its support of us and come through with budgetary support of the infrastructure needs we have long sought,” says Mr McHale with the firefighters union.
G Besides providing money to upgrade the fire engines that must traverse the mammoth state and wind along serpentine canyon roads, the state has invested in better command-and-control facilities as well as the strategies to run them. “In the fire sieges of earlier years, we found out that we had the willingness of mutual-aid help from other jurisdictions and states, but we were not able to communicate adequately with them,” says Kim Zagaris, chief of the state’s Office of Emergency Services, fire and rescue branch. After a 2004 blue-ribbon commission examined and revamped those procedures, the statewide response “has become far more professional and responsive,” he says.
H Besides ordering the California National Guard on Monday to make 1,500 guardsmen available for firefighting efforts, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked the Pentagon to send all available Modular Airborne Fighting Systems to the area. The military Lockheed C-130 cargo/utility aircraft carry a pressurized 3,000-gallon tank that can eject fire retardant or water in fewer than five seconds through two tubes at the rear of the plane. This load can cover an area 1/4-mile long and 60 feet wide to create a fire barrier. Governor Schwarzenegger also directed 2,300 inmate firefighters and 170 custody staff from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to work for hand in hand with state and local firefighters.
I Residents and government officials alike are noting the improvements with gratitude, even amid the loss of homes, churches, businesses, and farms. By Tuesday morning, the fires had burned 1,200 homes and businesses and set 245,957 acres – 384 square miles – ablaze. Despite such losses, there is a sense that the speed, dedication, and coordination of firefighters from several states and jurisdictions are resulting in greater efficiency than in past “siege fire” situations.
J “I am extraordinarily impressed by the improvements we have witnessed between the last big fire and this,” says Ross Simmons, a San Diego-based lawyer who had to evacuate both his home and business on Monday, taking up residence at a Hampton Inn 30 miles south of his home in Rancho Bernardo. After fires consumed 172,000 acres there in 2003, the San Diego region turned communitywide soul-searching into improved building codes, evacuation procedures, and procurement of new technology. Mr Simmons and neighbors began receiving automated phone calls at 3:30 a.m. Monday morning telling them to evacuate. “Notwithstanding all the damage that will be caused by this, we will not come close to the loss of life because of what we have … put in place since then,” he says.
Luyện tập California’s age of Megafires IELTS Reading
Questions 1-6
Complete the following summary of the paragraphs of Reading Passage
Using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the Reading Passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
Experts point out that blazes in California are having more heat, faster speed and they 1 more unpredictably compared with former ones. One explanation is that California’s summer is dry, 2 is below the average point. Another long term explanation is that hotter and longer potential days occur due to 3 . Nowadays, Megafires burn 4 the size of forest area caused by an ordinary fire of 20 years ago. The serious trend is mainly caused by well-grown underbrush, which provides 5 for the siege fires. Other contributors are climate change and extended 6.
Questions 7-9
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.
7 What is the expert’s attitude towards California’s performance after 2003 megafire?
8 According to Governor Schwarzenegger, which one is CORRECT about his effort for firefighting?
9 What happened to Ross Simmon on the day of megafire breakout?
Questions 10-13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 10-13 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 the passage |
Điểm số của bạn là % - đúng / câu
Đáp án California’s age of Megafires IELTS Reading
| 1. spread | 8. B |
| 2. rainfall | 9. D |
| 3. climate change | 10. TRUE |
| 4. 10 times | 11. NOT GIVEN |
| 5. primary fuel | 12. TRUE |
| 6. fire season | 13. FALSE |
| 7. C |
Giải chi tiết California’s age of Megafires IELTS Reading
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Questions 1-6: Dạng Summary Completion without a wordlist Cách làm:
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faster speed and they 1___ more unpredictably compared with former ones. Từ cần điền là một động từ, động từ là một hành động khó đoán. spread = lan ra erratically ≈ unpredictably (khó đoán / thất thường) ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là spread |
...The wildfires themselves, experts say, generally are hotter, move faster, and spread more erratically than in the past... |
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One explanation is that California’s summer is dry, 2___ is below the average point. Từ cần điền là danh từ liên quan đến thời tiết “less rain than normal” = mưa ít hơn mức trung bình → đúng với “is below the average point”. ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là rain |
…has had nine inches less rain than normal this year... |
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Another long term explanation is that hotter and longer potential days occur due to 3___. Từ cần điền là nguyên nhân của việc khả năng nhiều ngày nóng hơn và dài hơn “hotter days on average” + “longer fire seasons” → nguyên nhân dài hạn là climate change. ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là climate |
...The longer-term, climate change across the West is leading to hotter days on average and longer fire seasons... |
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Nowadays, Megafires burn 4___ the size of forest area caused by an ordinary fire of 20 years ago. Từ cần điền là cụm số lượng/tỉ lệ the size + 20 years ago → câu đang so sánh kích thước hiện tại vs quá khứ 10 times = gấp 10 lần ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là 10 times |
... burn 500,000 acres or more – 10 times the size of the average forest fire of 20 years ago... |
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The serious trend is mainly caused by well-grown underbrush, which provides 5___ for the siege fires. Từ cần điền là danh từ, thứ mà underbrush “cung cấp” cho lửa. underbrush = lớp cây bụi, cỏ dại dưới tán rừng primary fuel = “nhiên liệu chính” nuôi đám cháy lớn ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là primary fuel |
...halt the natural eradication of underbrush, now the primary fuel for megafires… |
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Other contributors are climate change and extended 6___. Sau tính từ extended → Từ cần điền là danh từ (thứ gì đó có thể “kéo dài”). fire season = mùa cháy rừng “78 days longer” = bị kéo dài → đúng với extended trong câu hỏi. ⇒ Đáp án chính xác là fire season |
Second is a fire season that on average is 78 days longer than in the late 1980s. |
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Questions 7-9: Dạng MCQ Cách làm:
Chứng minh các đáp án ĐÚNG/SAI bằng cách lần lượt trả lời 2 câu hỏi:
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7. What is the expert’s attitude towards California’s performance after 2003 megafire? |
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C Improvement made on preparation Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Attitude” ở đây hỏi thái độ/đánh giá của experts về California sau 2003. Bài nói rõ các chuyên gia khen California đã cải thiện công tác chuẩn bị.
⇒ Đáp án C chính xác |
…many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness since 2003 … |
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A They could have done better Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Câu hỏi: “Họ đáng lẽ có thể làm tốt hơn / họ làm chưa đủ tốt” trái ngược với thông tin trong bài đọc: experts” không nói theo kiểu chê “chưa đủ tốt”, mà khen rõ ràng.
⇒ Đáp A là FALSE |
…many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness since 2003 … |
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B Blamed them on casualties Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Câu hỏi đề cập: (Các chuyên gia) đổ lỗi cho họ vì đã có thương vong” Trong bài nói về 2003, bài có nhắc số người chết chỉ để làm bối cảnh (nêu hậu quả nặng nề), chứ không hề nói “experts blamed them”.
→ Không có câu nào nói experts “blamed” California vì casualties. ⇒ Đáp B là NOT GIVEN |
since 2003… burned 3,640 homes, and killed 22 people…many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness since 2003… |
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D Serious criticism Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Câu hỏi đề cập: bị chỉ trích nặng nề / phê phán gay gắt Trong bài có nhắc California từng bị chỉ trích trong quá khứ, nhưng thái độ của experts ở thời điểm bài đang nói lại là khen sự cải thiện.
→ Đây là chuyện hồi đó (“then”), dùng để giải thích vì sao sau này họ cải thiện. Tuy nhiên thái độ hiện tại của experts không phải “serious criticism”, mà là ghi nhận cải thiện. ⇒ Đáp D là FALSE |
…Stung then by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread…many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness since 2003… |
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8, According to Governor Schwarzenegger, which one is CORRECT about his effort for firefighting? |
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B Schwarzenegger led many prison management staff to work together with local firefighters Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Bài đọc nói rõ ông Schwarzenegger chỉ đạo (directed) lực lượng tù nhân chữa cháy và custody staff (nhân sự quản lý/giám sát tù nhân) phối hợp cùng lực lượng chữa cháy của bang và địa phương.
→ Khớp ý “prison management staff work together with local firefighters” ⇒ Đáp án B chính xác |
Governor Schwarzenegger also directed 2,300 inmate firefighters and 170 custody staff … to work … with state and local firefighters |
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A Schwarzenegger requested successfully for military weapons Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Bài đọc có nói ông ấy asked the Pentagon gửi Modular Airborne Fighting Systems, nhưng đây là hệ thống chữa cháy trên máy bay (thả chất chống cháy/nước), không phải “weapons”. Và bài cũng không khẳng định “successfully” (đã được chấp thuận). ⇒ Đáp A là FALSE |
…asked the Pentagon to send … Modular Airborne Fighting Systems …aircraft carry… tank that can eject fire retardant or water… |
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C Schwarzenegger acted negatively in recent megafire in California Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Bài đọc mô tả ông ấy hành động rất mạnh: huy động National Guard, xin hỗ trợ từ Pentagon, điều động inmate firefighters… → Toàn động từ hành động tích cực, không phải “negatively”. ⇒ Đáp C là FALSE |
ordered the California National Guard… asked the Pentagon… also directed 2,300 inmate firefighters … |
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D Schwarzenegger ordered 1,500 office clerk to join firefighting scene. Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: 1,500 người là guardsmen (lính Vệ binh Quốc gia), không phải “office clerk”. ⇒ Đáp D là FALSE |
…make 1,500 guardsmen available… |
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9 What happened to Ross Simmon on the day of megafire breakout? |
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D He was alarmed by machine calls Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Bài nói rõ Ross Simmons và hàng xóm nhận được automated phone calls (cuộc gọi tự động) lúc 3:30 a.m. yêu cầu sơ tán.
⇒ Đáp án D chính xác |
Mr Simmons and neighbors began receiving automated phone calls at 3:30 a.m. Monday morning telling them to evacuate |
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A He was sleeping till morning Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Có chi tiết 3:30 a.m. gọi điện báo sơ tán → không thể “ngủ đến sáng” như không có gì xảy ra ⇒ Đáp án A là FALSE |
3:30 a.m. … telling them to evacuate |
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B He was doing business at Hampton Inn Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Hampton Inn là nơi ông ấy tạm trú sau khi sơ tán, không phải nơi ông ấy “đang làm việc kinh doanh” taking up residence = ở tạm/trú tạm, không phải “doing business” ⇒ Đáp án B là FALSE |
had to evacuate both his home and business… taking up residence at a Hampton Inn… |
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C He suffered employee death on that morning Nhận xét:
Cụ thể: Bài không nhắc bất kỳ employee death nào của ông ấy. ⇒ Đáp án C là NOT GIVEN |
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Questions 10 - 13: Dạng TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN & YES/NO/NOT GIVEN Cách làm:
Chọn đáp án bằng cách lần lượt trả lời 2 câu hỏi:
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10. The area of open space in California has declined during the past decade.
⇒ Đáp án là TRUE |
In California, where population growth has averaged more than 600,000 a year for at least a decade, housing has pushed into such areas…What once was open space is now residential homes providing fuel to make fires burn with greater intensity… |
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11. Fire squad wants to recruit more firefighters this year. Các thông tin trong câu hỏi ĐỀU TÌM ĐƯỢC NỘI DUNG TƯƠNG ỨNG trong bài đọc hay không? ⇒ Đáp án là NOT GIVEN |
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12. Firefighters union declared that firefighters have had the more improved and supportive facility by the local government.
⇒ Đáp án là TRUE |
Firefighters unions that then complained of dilapidated equipment, old fire engines and insufficient blueprints for fire safety are now praising the state’s commitment, noting that funding for firefighting has increased…We are pleased that the Schwarzenegger administration has been very proactive… and come through with budgetary support of the infrastructure needs we have long sought,” says Mr McHale… |
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Before the year of 2004, well coordination and communication between California and other states already existed in fire siege.
⇒ Đáp án là FALSE |
we had the willingness of mutual-aid help from other jurisdictions and states, but we were not able to communicate adequately with them…After a 2004 blue-ribbon commission examined and revamped those procedures, the statewide response “has become far more professional and responsive” |
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