Warm up - Thinking about the Topic

1 In pairs, discuss:

a. What is your favourite car? Why do you like it?

b. Do you own a car? If not , would you like to own a car?

2 In pairs, list as many advantages and disadvantages of owning a car as you can.
The first ones have been done for you.

Advantages of Owning a Car Disadvantages of Owning a Car

Increased mobility Expens ive

Beginning to Read

Scanning for Specific Information

\'011 need lo he able to read quickly as your time is limited in the IECJ'S test. :\loving your eyes
fast on·r the r!'ading passage to scan fin· spn:ilic inli 1rmatio11 is a vital skill.

62 - Lessons for IELTS - Reading www.nhantriviet.com

l
•
~
r
• Tata Nono
'
(
[ A The twentieth century, starting with Henry Ford's
Model-T in 1908, saw the start of man's love affair with
the automobile. Some, however, might view the relationship
between the car and the human race as more of a love-
hate relationship. We love and cherish cars because they
are undeniably convenient, have increased our personal
mobility, and have permitted industry and commerce to grow
and prosper. However, they unfortunately also have their
downsides such as the increase in pollution and congestion
that they cause.
The problems caused by cars, however, may only
B get bigger in the future, because of a car that is
smaller and cheaper. The car in question is the Tata Nono,
manufactured in the Indian state of West Bengal in a
purpose-built factory by the entrepreneur Ratan Tata and
first launched in October 2008. Apart from the obvious
profit motive, the admirable philosophy behind this venture
is the desire to bring motoring and mobility within the reach
of the poor people who up until now have been unable to
afford the price of a car. At around what some have called
an ultra-affordable $2,500, the so-called 'People's Car' is
now within easy reach of determined buyers. The Tata Nono
will provide status and a higher degree of comfort and
protection than previous vehicles did. Previously, people
had to rely on their two-wheeled scooters or three-wheeled
motorised rickshaws for transport, but now these eight
million road users will have another option.
So who exactly are the potential owners of these new
C vehicles? Who will buy them? In India, the average age
is 25, and many of these young people have great dreams
for a prosperous future. There is also a growing middle
class with increasing spending power. Combine these facts
with extensive advertising, and there will be a predictable
explosion in the number of cars.
D Another way of looking at this development, though,
is that all car owners can sit alongside each other
in the inevitable traffic jams, for this is the downside of
allowing everyone to have access to cars. Increasingly,
voices are being raised in India and abroad, questioning the
wisdom and warning of the consequences of sending such
www.nhantriviet.com
a massive number of new cars onto the roads. Tata alone
hopes to sell one million per year, and that does not take
into account the existing car companies who are already in
the market. However, what gives anyone the right to tell
poor Indians that they cannot or should not have access to
the same modern conveniences that other countries enjoy?
India has only 1% of the world's cars, and the USA has
40%. Would anyone dream of even suggesting that the
developed world should cut back on the number of cars on
its roads? Yet, there are compelling arguments in favour of
controlling the number of new cars on India's roads.
As was seen during China's hosting of the Olympic
E Games in Beijing in 2008, there is a definite
connection between the number of cars on the road and the
amount of pollution in the air, and controlling one reduces
the other. Enabling a million new drivers every year to take
to the roads will worsen air quality in India's megacities,
such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkatta, where the amount
of air pollution due to vehicles stands at 64%, 52%, and
30% respectively. Nearly 60% of Indian cities already have
pollution levels that are at the critical level, and the release
of the Tata Nono, in conjunction with all the other new
cars, has the potential to dramatically affect those levels.
Traffic congestion, already a major cause for concern, is
yet another aspect of transport that will get further out
of control, and instead of driving alongside each other,
the poor and the rich may find themselves stuck alongside
each other in massive traffic jams. And as if pollution and
congestion were not enough, there is one more problem
to face: fuel supply. India only has an estimated 0.5% of
global oil reserves and imports approximately 70% of its
oil needs from the Middle East. Increasing the number of
cars will also increase India's dependence on imported oil
and create unfortunate effects on the domestic economy.
F The Tata Nono, then, is a uniquely Indian solution to an
Indian problem. It will have benefits and drawbacks.
Many people will applaud the freedom of movement that
it will give to the poorer sections of Indian society, while
others will fear the environmental consequences. At the
beginning of the next century, assuming that the human
race is still here and that the personal car is still a major
mode of transport, will our descendants look back at this
development and regard it in the same favourable way that
people looked at Henry Ford's original invention?
The Environment 63
3 In NO MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES, answer the following
TIP
questions as quickly as you can. Remember you are just looking
Ill\. quest~Oll\. ',
for a specific word, a date, or a number in the reading passage.
DU
aye 011\.L!::j scall\..111-~ll\.g j
1
foy ii peYce111-tiige
a. What year did Henry Ford develop the Model-T? 1908
b. What year was the Tata Nono launched? 2008
11\.U~beY Qli\.o( tl-\e
WOYolS '1111-ol~Q' all\..ol
]
c. How much does the Tata Nono cost to buy? $2,500 'o~L'. Ill\. quest~Oll\.
d. How many road users are there in India? eight million J
a, l:jDU aye Oll\.L!::j
e. How many cars does Ratan Tata hope to sell each year ? one million scall\.111-~111-g foy a
f. What percentage of the world's cars does the USA own? 40% olate a111-ol ti-le woyols
g. What is the air pollution level due to vehicles in Kolkatta? 30% ' t-tell\.Yl::j FoYol 's
h. What percentage of Indian cities already h as pollution levels at a critical MooleL-T '.
level? nearly 60%
i. What percentage of India's oil is imported? approximately 70%

Reading between the Lines - Inferencing

\\'ritcrs olicn do not stale their meaning directly. Instead, the reader has lo 'read hcl\\'CCll the
lines· to understand the complete meaning of the reading passage.

Read the following briefparagraph.

At $2,500, this car will provide a cheap alternative to more expensive conventional
vehicles, and many people who previously could not have afforded to buy a car will
finally be able to join the car owning elite. They will have the good fortune to join
thousands of others in spending hours in traffic jams, thus adding to the air pollution
of the major cities and contributing to our worsening global warming crisis.

4 Discuss these questions with a partner.

Sentence 1 - What are the advantages of the new car? cheap and affordable - many people can buy now.
Sentence 2 - Is it good or bad fortune to spend hours in traffic jams? Is it good or bad fortune to add to
air pollution problems? Bad fortune for both
Overall meaning - Does the writer think the new car is a good thing or a bad thing? Why? Although the car is
cheap, it is a bad thing because it will create a lot of problems.

IELTS-Type Questions: Reading for Details and for Main Ideas

J

64 - Lessons for IELTS - Reading www.nhantriviet.com J

 TIP
Follow i.V1Stn.c.eti.oM& eQre'(w.LL11:
1f the i.V1Stn.c.cti.oM& sa11 to r..<.Se woYds •fyoM the passage', 11oi..c. 111.Ud to r..<.Se the t.X.act woyds a..wil spell
the~ eorrectL!j.
'""'°
If the i.V1Stri..c.cti.oV1S sal::l to wri.te ~Ye tha111- thne wori:ls' a..wil !jOi.<. wri.te foi..c.r wori:ls, !jOi..c.r QV\SWtr
wi.lL be Martui:I as wro111-9 . (Co111-tracti.0V1S coi.<.111-t as 0111-t wori:I.)

l. \ Vhat have automobiles allowed business to do?

grow and prosper
2. Ratan Tata wanted to develop a car that poor people could afford to buy. What was his other reason
for developing this car?
profit
3. What will Tata Nono provide for scooter and rickshaw drivers?
another option
4. T hese cars will sell because many young people want a car and the middle classes have more money
to spend. What another factor will help the cars to sell ?
advertising
5. What will happen to India's big cities if there are a million more drivers every year ?
air pollution
TIP
111\.Htts ~ 6f aoti.~
Table Completion the a111-swe~s wi.lL
C0111plet1• the tahle below. Use XO .\/ORE 'flIAN "fl/RU:. I VO!WS or i.<.si..c.aLLl:j C.OMt fYOM
011\.t OY two -pAYAgYAphs
,-J .Xl Ji\ IH/~'N .finm !hr /)(l.ll!lJ!/./iir ead1 answrr.
or secti.0111-s of th e
l'Uli:I~ -pASS£1ge.

I
Benefits of Tata Nono Drawbacks of Tata Nono
I

Poor people can afford to buy a car and Air pollution in Mumbai due to cars stands at

6. _ _ _ ___, will now be possible for 9 . .___ 52%

_ ____;. Tata Nono will significantly
motoring and mobility
affect
10. ,___ _ _ _ that figure.
them.

jams
Tata Nono brings status and increased Traffic ii. I' ------ will also increase as
7.1
._____
comfort andI.protection
the rich and poor alike are able to afford cars.

Poor people need no longer depend on More oil will need to be imported as

a.I_ _____,] tor transportation. Indian oil reserves stand at around

scooters or rickshaws
12. _ 0.5%
_ _ - i.

www.nhantriv1et.com The Environment 65

 Identification of Writer's Views

/Jo thefallowing .1tateme11ts agree with the views qfthe u:riter in the 1mdi11g passage? Jl'rite:

} E\' il the statement agrees with th1~ views qf the uTiter

XO fl the statement contradicts thr 11iews efthe writer
J\ OT(,'/ VEN ff it is im/mssible lo .If!)' rdwt the U"riter thinks about this

13. Ratan Tata's only reason for developing his new car was so he could make a big profit. N
14. The increasing number of new vehicles will have only benefits for India. N
15. It is unfair that people in developing countries should be denied access to cars. Y
16. The Indian government should control the number of new cars on its roads. NG
17. Controlling the number of cars would help to decrease air pollution. Y
18. If more cars are allowed on India's roads, this will lead to problems for the Indian economy. Y
19. In the future , people will consider that the development of Tata Nono was a good thing. N

20. The writer's main idea is:

a. The availability of cheap cars will have many benefits for poor people in India.
b. The Tata Nono will have negative effects on the environment in India.
c. People in developing countries should have the same rights to car transport as those in rich countries.
d. Although the Tata Nono will help many people, it will also create problems for India and the planet.

After You Read

Vocabulary

Increasing your \·ocabulary and bein g abl e to recognise synonyms is \'ital for the IEJ;rs
Reading test.

5 Match the words or phrases with the same meanings.

66 - Lessons for IELTS - Reading. www.nhantriviet.com

 UNIT

Words or phrases Words/ phrases from the reading passage

a. very strong interest 9 l. profit motive

b. certainly true 8 2. entrepreneur

c. idea 6 3. rely on

d. a person who sets up businesses 2 4. ultra-affordable

>----

e. doing something for money 1 5. status

f. ability to move around easily 10 6. philosophy

g. very inexpensive 4 7 . option

h. position in society 5 8. undeniably

i. depend on 3 9. desire

j. choice 7 10. mob ility

Guessing the Meaning of Unknown Words

Don't panic wht'n you can't understand the meaning of en'.ry word in the reading passages.
Guessing thl' meaning of unknmn1 words h)' looking at the \\'ords around them is a skill you can
dc\'clop through practice.

6 Read the sentences and choose the most likely meaning from I-III for the underlined word. Do
not use a dictionary.

a .... with the power of advertising and the natural hu man desire to have what everyone else has , there
will be a predictable explosion in the number of cars.
I. decrease
II. imp orting
III. sudden burst
b. Another way of looking at this development, though , is that they can sit alongside each other in the
inevitable traffic j ams, for this is the downside of allowing everyone to have access to cars.
I. expected
II. enjoyable
III. short
c. Increasingly, voices are being raised in India and abroad , questioning the wisdom and warning of the
consequences of sending such a massive number of new cars onto the roads.
I. small
II. very in teresting
III. very large

www.nhantriviet.com The Environment - 67

 d. Enabling a million new drivers every year to take to the roads will worsen air quality in India's megacities.
Nearly 60% of Indian cities already have pollution levels that are at the critical level.
I. very dangerous
II. controlled
III. safe
e. Traffic congestion is yet another aspect of transport that will get further out of control , and instead of
driving alongside each other, the poor and the rich may find themselves stuck alongside each other in
massive traffic jams.
I. accidents
II. overcrowding
III. rules
( Many people will applaud the freedom of movement that Tata Nono will give to the poorer sections
of Indian society, while others will fear the environmental consequences.
I. approve
II. dislike
III. laugh at

7 Underline the words or phrases in the following sentences that are referring to the same thing.

a. In India, there are 100,000 deaths every year due to car accidents. And those chilling figures do not
take into acco unt the extra numbers maimed and injured.
b. Its four wheels, four doors, and four seats provide status and a degree of comfort and protection
missing from what the new purchasers had been used to. Previously, they had to rely on their two-
wheelcd scooters or three-wheeled motorised rickshaws for transport.

68 Lessons for IELTS - Reading www.nhantriviet.com

 UNIT
c. Some of the protests were violent, but finally, a deal was reached, whereby some farmers had their
'
land returned, and others received compensation.
d. The poor can now drive alongside the rich on India's roads. Another way of looking at this
development, though, is that they can sit alongside each other in the inevitable traffic jams.
e. The Tata Nono, then, is a uniquely Indian solution to an Indian problem. It will have benefits and
drawbacks.

www.nhantriviet.com The Environment - 69