1

Reading Part A

Reading: Part A - Answer Booklet

Part A Summary Gap Fill Time Limit: 15 minutes
Instructions
• Complete the following summary using the information in the texts
for this task.
• Skim and scan the texts to find the information required.
• Gaps may require 1, 2 or 3 words.
• Write your answers in the appropriate space in the column on the
right hand side.
• Make sure your spelling is correct.
Summary Answers
1.
Due  to  ....(1)....    in  south  east  Australia,  governments  
have  recommended  that  households  ....(2)....    domestic   2.
water  tanks.  However,  a  recent  study  by  Beebe,  
Cooper,  Mottram  and    ....(3)....    warns  that  this  could   3.
increase  the  risk  of  ....(4)....    especially  in  summer  time.  
  4.
The  scientific  name  of  the  dengue  mosquito  is  ....(5)....    
Its  appearance  is  similar  to  most  other  mosquitoes  so  
5.

a  ....(6)....    is  required  for  identification.  In  terms  of  

6.
behaviour,  the  dengue  mosquito  prefers  to  ....(7)....    and  
its  bite  is  not  very  ....(8)....  .  It  usually  attacks  the  ....(9)....    
7.
of  people  with    most  bites  occurring  during  ....(10)....    
hours.  
8.
 
 
Aedus  aegypti  is  responsible  for  the  spread  of  dengue   9.
fever  and  typical  symptoms  in  adults  include  a  rapid  
....(11)....    which  lasts  several  days.  Intense  headache,  
10.

muscle  and  joint  pain  and  ....(12)....      may  also  occur.  As  
11.
the  fever  reduces  ,  victims  may  have  a  ....(13).....  .  It  is    
....(14)....  for  young  children  to  have  no  symptoms  at  all.  
12.

13.

14.

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 2
Reading Part A

Summary Answers
15.

The  dengue  mosquito  ....(15)....    breed  without  water  

16.

and  will  seek  out  water  holding  containers  in  ....(16)....  .  

17.
Therefore  homeowners  are  encouraged  to  ensure  
their  backyards  do  not  have  watering  cans,  ....(17)....    
18.
tyres  and  buckets  lying  around.  In  addition,  rain  water  
tanks  need  to  be  ....(18)....  .  
19.
 
  20.
 
While  in  recent  times,  the  range  of  Aedus  aegypti  has   21.
been  limited  to  tropical  areas,  there  is  a  risk  that  it  
could  spread  further,  not  because  of  ....(19)....    but   22.
because    humans  have  ....(20)....    to  drier  weather  by  
installing  rain  water  tanks  in  their  backyards,  which  in  
23.

turn  act  as  breeding  sites  for  Aedus  aegypti,  leading  to  
24.
an  ....(21)....    risk  of  dengue  fever  in  ....(22)....  
 
25.
 
 
26.
This  risk  is....(23)....  in  the  warm  summer  months.  
Therefore,  it  is  essential  that  governments  strictly  
27.
....(24)....  the  ....(25)....  and    ....(26)....  of    domestic  water  tanks  
in  order  to  ....(27)....    the    spread  of  Aedus  aegypti  to  
28.
....(28)....  throughout  Australia.    

TOTAL SCORE

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 3
Reading Part A

Part A
Time Limit: 15 minutes
Instructions
• Complete the summary on the answer page using the information in
the four texts below.
• Skim and scan the texts to find the information required.
• Write your answers in the appropriate space in the column on the
right hand side.
• Make sure your spelling is correct.

The Increasing Threat of Dengue Fever

Text 1
The dengue mosquito

The dengue mosquito looks like many other mosquitoes so it is difficult for
the layperson to identify without the use of a microscope. As a rule of
thumb, if you have mosquitoes biting you indoors during the day in north
Queensland, it is likely that they are dengue mosquitoes.
The dengue mosquito(Aedes aegypti) can more readily be identified by its
behaviour. Look for these signs:
*It likes to live indoors and bite people indoors
*It is hard to catch; it moves very quickly, darting back and forth
*It bites people around the ankles and feet
*Its bite is relatively painless
The adult mosquito prefers to rest in dark areas inside and under houses and
buildings. Favourite resting spots are under beds, tables and chairs; in
wardrobes and closets; on piles of dirty laundry and shoes; inside open
containers; in dark and quiet rooms; and even on dark objects such as
clothing or furniture.
The dengue mosquito prefers to bite humans during daylight. It is very
cautious when biting, flying away quickly at the slightest disturbance. An
effective way to kill adult mosquitoes is to apply a residual insecticide
(cockroach surface spray) onto the areas where they prefer to rest.

This resource was developed by OET Online and is subject to copyright ©

Website: http://oetonline.com.au Email: steve@oetonline.com.au
 4
Reading Part A

Text 2
Title: Australia’s Dengue Risk Driven by Human Adaption to Climate Change
Authors: Nigel W. Beebe, Robert D. Cooper, Pipi Mottram, Anthony W. Sweeney
Source: Public Library of Open Science

Background: The reduced rainfall in southeast Australia has placed this

region’s urban and rural communities on escalating water restrictions, with
anthropogenic climate change forecasts suggesting that this drying trend
will continue. To mitigate the stress this may place on domestic water
supply, governments have encouraged the installation of domestic water
tanks in towns and cities throughout this region. These prospective stable
mosquito larval sites create the possibility of the reintroduction of Aedes
aegypti from Queensland, where it remains endemic, back into New South
Wales and other populated centres in Australia, along with the associated
emerging and re-emerging dengue risk if the virus was to be introduced.

Objective: To determine the whether human’s ability to adapt to climate

change through the installation of large stable water storage tanks leads to
a more wide spread distribution of Aedes Aegypti.

Principal Findings: The distribution of Aedes aegypti is mediated more by

human activity than by climate. Synthesis of this data with dengue
transmission climate limits in Australia derived from historical dengue
epidemics suggested that a proliferation of domestic water tanks in
Australia could result in another range expansion of Aedus aegypti which
would present a risk of dengue transmission in most major cities during their
warm summer months.

Conclusions/Significance: In the debate of the role climate change will play

in the future range of dengue in Australia, we conclude that the increased
risk of an Aedes aegypti range expansion in Australia would be due not
directly to climate change but rather to human adaptation to drier weather
by the installation of large domestic water storing containers. The
expansion of this efficient dengue vector presents both an emerging disease
risk to Australia. Therefore, if the installation and maintenance of domestic
water storage tanks is not tightly controlled, Aedes aegypti could expand its
range again in urban areas throughout most parts of Australia, presenting a
high potential dengue transmission risk during our warm summers.

This resource was developed by OET Online and is subject to copyright ©

Website: http://oetonline.com.au Email: steve@oetonline.com.au
 5
Reading Part A

Text 3

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Symptoms are most commonly seen in adults and older children. Young
children may show no symptoms. Typical symptoms may include
• sudden onset of fever (lasting three to seven days)
• intense headache (especially behind the eyes)
• muscle and joint pain (ankles, knees and elbows)
• diarrhoea
• fine skin rash as fever subsides

Text 4

Dengue mosquito Breeding sites

The dengue mosquito frequents suburban backyards in search of

containers holding water in order to breed
• watering cans
• buckets
• unsealed rain water tanks
• old car tyres
• roof gutters
• tarpaulins
• any vessel which holds water

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 6
Reading Part A

Dengue  Fever:  Answer  key  and  explanation  

 
Answer   Details  
1. reduced  rainfall  
Type  1  
 
Type  2:  change    word  form:  installation  (noun)    
2. install  
install  (active  verb)  
3. Sweeney  
Type  1  
 
4. dengue  
transmission   Type  1  
 
5. Aedes  aegypti  
Type  1  
 
6. microscope  
Type  1  
 
7. live  indoors  
Type  1  
 
8. painful  
Type  4:  use  opposite  word  to  match  meaning  
 
9. ankles  and  feet  
Type  1  
 
10. daylight  
Type  1  
 
11. onset  of  fever  
Type  1  
 
12. diarrhoea  
Type  1  
 
13. fine  skin  rash  
Type  1  
 
14. usual/common  
or  words  of  similar   Type  4:  match  meaning  
meaning  
15. cannot/is  unable  to  
or  words  of  similar   Type  4:  match  meaning  
meaning  
16. suburban  backyards  
Type  1  
 
17. old  car  
Type  1  
 
18. sealed   Type  1/4:  Need  to  use  opposite  word  to  make  
  meaning  match  
19. climate  change  
Type  1  
 
Type  2  :  change    word  form:  adaption  (noun)    
20. adapted  
adapted    (verb)  
 
 
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 7
Reading Part A

21. emerging  
Type  1  
 
22. Australia  
Type  1  
 
Type  1/2/4:  requiring  understand  of  meaning  and  
23. Highest/higher/high   possible  word  modification  
 
Type  2  &  4:  requiring  understand  of  meaning  and  
24. control  
word  modification  
25. installation  
Type  1  
 
26. maintenance  
Type  1  
 
27. prevent/stop  or  
Type  4:  Need  to  use  an  original  word  to  make  the  
words  of  similar  
meaning  match  
meaning  
28. urban  areas  
Type  1  
 

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 8
Reading Part A

The Increasing Threat of Dengue Fever

Text 1
The dengue mosquito

The dengue mosquito looks like many other mosquitoes so it is difficult for the layperson to identify
without the use of a (6) microscope. As a rule of thumb, if you have mosquitoes biting you indoors
during the day in north Queensland, it is likely that they are dengue mosquitoes.
The dengue mosquito (5) (Aedes aegypti) can more readily be identified by its behaviour. Look for
these signs:
*It likes to (7)live indoors and bite people indoors
*It is hard to catch; it moves very quickly, darting back and forth
*It bites people around the (9)ankles and feet
*Its bite is relatively(8) painless
The adult mosquito prefers to rest in dark areas inside and under houses and buildings. Favourite
resting spots are under beds, tables and chairs; in wardrobes and closets; on piles of dirty laundry and
shoes; inside open containers; in dark and quiet rooms; and even on dark objects such as clothing or
furniture.
The dengue mosquito prefers to bite humans during (10)daylight. It is very cautious when biting,
flying away quickly at the slightest disturbance. An effective way to kill adult mosquitoes is to apply a
residual insecticide (cockroach surface spray) onto the areas where they prefer to rest.

Text 2

Title: Australia’s Dengue Risk Driven by Human Adaption to Climate Change

Authors: Nigel W. Beebe, Robert D. Cooper, Pipi Mottram, Anthony W. (3) Sweeney
Source: Public Library of Open Science
Background: The (1)reduced rainfall in southeast Australia has placed this region’s urban and rural
communities on escalating water restrictions, with anthropogenic climate change forecasts suggesting
that this drying trend will continue. To mitigate the stress this may place on domestic water supply,
governments have encouraged the (2)installation of domestic water tanks in towns and cities
throughout this region. These prospective stable mosquito larval sites create the possibility of the
reintroduction of Aedes aegypti from Queensland, where it remains endemic, back into New South
Wales and other populated centres in Australia, along with the associated emerging and re-emerging
dengue risk if the virus was to be introduced.

Objective: To determine the whether human’s ability to adapt to climate change through the
installation of large stable water storage tanks leads to a more wide spread distribution of Aedes
Aegypti.

Principal Findings: The distribution of Aedus aegypti is mediated more by human activity than by
climate. Synthesis of this data with dengue transmission climate limits in Australia derived from
historical dengue epidemics suggested that a proliferation of domestic water tanks in Australia could
result in another range expansion of Aedes aegypti which would present a risk of (4)dengue
transmission in most major cities during their warm summer months.

Conclusions/Significance: In the debate of the role climate change will play in the future range of
dengue in Australia, we conclude that the increased risk of an Aedes aegypti range expansion in
Australia would be due not directly to (19)climate change but rather to human (20)adaptation to drier
weather by the installation of large domestic water storing containers. The expansion of this efficient
dengue vector presents both an (21)emerging disease risk to (22)Australia. Therefore, if the
(25)installation and (26)maintenance of domestic water storage tanks is not tightly (24)controlled,
Aedes aegypti could expand its range again in (28)urban areas throughout most parts of Australia,
presenting a (23)high potential dengue transmission risk during our warm summers.

This resource was developed by OET Online and is subject to copyright ©

Website: http://oetonline.com.au Email: steve@oetonline.com.au
 9
Reading Part A

Text 3

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

Symptoms are most commonly seen in adult. (14) Young children may show no symptoms. Typical
symptoms may include
• sudden (11)onset of fever (lasting three to seven days)
• intense headache (especially behind the eyes)
• muscle and joint pain (ankles, knees and elbows)
• (12) diarrhoea
• (13)fine skin rash as fever subsides

Text 4

Dengue mosquito Breeding sites

The dengue mosquito frequents (16)suburban backyards in search of containers holding (15)water
which it needs in order to breed
• watering cans
• buckets
• (18)unsealed rain water tanks
• (17)old car tyres
• roof gutters
• tarpaulins
• any vessel which holds water

This resource was developed by OET Online and is subject to copyright ©

Website: http://oetonline.com.au Email: steve@oetonline.com.au