Predictably, the more overlap there was between two types of

mixtures, the harder they were to tell apart. After calculating how
many of the mixtures the majority of people could tell apart, the
researchers were able to predict how people would fare if presented
with every possible mixture that could be created from the 128
different odour molecules. They used this data to estimate that the
average person can detect at least one trillion different smells, a far
cry from the previous estimate of 10,000.
This number is probably an underestimation of the true number
of smells we can detect, said Vosshall, because there are far more
than 128 different types of odour molecules in the world. And our
olfaction is quite powerful comparing to other mammals. For
example, marine animals can detect only water-soluble odorants.
No longer should humans be considered poor smellers. “It’s time
to give our sense of smell the recognition it deserves,” said Vosshall.
Questions 14–19
Do the following statements agree with the information given in
Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 14–19 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
14. In general, olfaction and sense of taste are considered equally
important.
15. About 7,000 young people around the world would prefer losing
their sense of smell than access to laptops.
16. Odor reception is an integral function of all mammals.
17. Superior nasal concha is compared to a lock and odor
molecules are like keys that are used to open it.
18. Cats have two times as many olfactory receptors as humans.

19. We are able to detect a lot of different scents because of a

variety of odor receptors, which translate impact of molecules