| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | if there is no information on this |
European Heat Wave
A. It was the summer, scientists now realise, when felt. We knew that summer 2003 was remarkable: global warming at last made itself unmistakably Britain experienced its record high temperature and continental Europe saw forest fires raging out of control, great rivers drying of a trickle and thousands of heat-related deaths. But just how remarkable is only now becoming clean.
B. The three months of June, July and August were the warmest ever recorded in western and central Europe, with record national highs in Portugal, Germany and Switzerland as well as Britain. And they were the warmest by a very long way Over a great rectangular block of the earth stretching from west of Paris to northern Italy, taking in Switzerland and southern Germany, the average temperature for the summer months was 3.78°C above the long-term norm, said the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, which is one of the world’s lending institutions for the monitoring and analysis of temperature records.
C. That excess might not seem a lot until you are aware of the context – but then you realise it is enormous. There is nothing like this in previous data, anywhere. It is considered so exceptional that Professor Phil Jones, the CRU’s director, is prepared to say openly – in a way few scientists have done before – that the 2003 extreme may be directly attributed, not to natural climate variability, but to global warming caused by human actions.
D. Meteorologists have hitherto contented themselves with the formula that recent high temperatures are consistent with predictions” of climate change. For the great block of the map 一 that stretching between 3 5-5 ON and 0-20E – the CRU has reliable temperature records dating back to 1781. Using as a baseline the average summer temperature recorded between 1961 and1990, departures from the temperature norm, or “anomalies’: over the area as a whole can easily be plotted. As the graph shows, such is the variability of our climate that over the past 200 years, there have been at least half a dozen anomalies, in terms of excess temperature – the peaks on the graph denoting very hot years – approaching, or even exceeding, 20 °C. But there has been nothing remotely like 2003, when the anomaly is nearly four degrees.
E. “This is quite remarkable,” Professor Jones told The Independent. “It’s very unusual in a statistical sense. If this series had a normal statistical distribution, you wouldn’t get this number. There turn period “how often it could be expected to recur” would be something like one in a thou-sand years. If we look at an excess above the average of nearly four degrees, then perhaps nearly three degrees of that is natural variability, because we’ve seen that in past summers. But the final degree of it is likely to be due to global warming, caused by human actions.
F. The summer of 2003 has, in a sense, been one that climate scientists have long been expecting. Until now, the warming has been manifesting itself mainly in winters that have been less cold than in summers that have been much hotter. Last week, the United Nations predicted that winters were warming so quickly that winter sports would die out in Europe’s lower-level ski resorts. But sooner or later the unprecedented hot summer was bound to come, and this year it did.
G. One of the most dramatic features of the summer was the hot nights, especially in the first half of August. In Paris, the temperature never dropped below 230°C (73.40°F) at all between 7 and 14 August, and the city recorded its warmest-ever night on 11-12 August, when the mercury did not drop below 25.50°C (77.90°F). Germany recorded its warmest ever night at Weinbiet in the Rhine valley with a lowest figure of 27.60°C (80.60°F) on 13 August, and similar record-breaking night-time temperatures were recorded in Switzerland and Italy.
H. The 15,000 excess deaths in France during August, compared with previous years, have been related to the high night-time temperatures. The number gradually increased during the first 12days of the month, peaking at about 2,000 per day on the night of 12-13 August, then fell off dramatically after 14 August when the minimum temperatures fell by about 50C. The elderly were most affected, with a 70 per cent increase in mortality rate in those aged 75-94.
I. For Britain, the year as a whole is likely to be the warmest ever recorded, but despite the high temperature record on 10 August, the summer itself – defined as the June, July and August period – still comes behind 1976 and 1995，when there were longer periods of intense heat. At the moment, the year is on course to be the third-hottest ever in the global temperature record, which goes back to 1856, behind 1998 and 2002 but when all the records for October, November and December are collated, it might move into second place, Professor Jones said. The 10 hottest years in the record have all now occurred since 1990. Professor Jones is in no doubt about the astonishing nature of European summer of 2003.”The temperatures recorded were out of all proportion to the previous record,” he said. “It was the warmest summer in the past 500 years and probably way beyond that It was enormously exceptional.”
J. His colleagues at the University of East Anglia’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research are now planning a special study of it. “It was a summer that has not: been experienced before, either in terms of the temperature extremes that were reached, or the range and diversity of the impacts of the extreme heat,” said the centre’s executive director, Professor Mike Hulme. “It will certainly have left its mark on a number of countries, as to how they think and plan for climate change in the future, much as the 2000 floods have revolutionised the way the Government is thinking about flooding in the UK. “The 2003 heat wave will have similar repercussions across Europe.”
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.
Question Focus: Synonym match - 'approximately four degrees' matches 'nearly four degrees above the long-term norm'
Correct Answer: TRUE
Why this is correct: The passage clearly states that the average summer temperature was 3.78°C above the long-term norm, which is nearly four degrees. This directly matches the statement, just with slightly different wording.
Passage Reference: Over a great rectangular block of the earth stretching from west of Paris to northern Italy, taking in Switzerland and southern Germany, the average temperature for the summer months was 3.78°C above the long-term norm, said the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, which is one of the world's lending institutions for the monitoring and analysis of temperature records. C. That excess might not seem a lot until you are aware of the context - but then you realise it is enormous. There is nothing like this in previous data, anywhere. It is considered so exceptional that Professor Phil Jones, the CRU's director, is prepared to say openly - in a way few scientists have done before - that the 2003 extreme may be directly attributed, not to natural climate variability, but to global warming caused by human actions. D. Meteorologists have hitherto contented themselves with the formula that recent high temperatures are consistent with predictions' of climate change. For the great block of the map ? that stretching between 3 5-5 ON and 0-20E - the CRU has reliable temperature records dating back to 1781. Using as a baseline the average summer temperature recorded between 1961 and1990, departures from the temperature norm, or 'anomalies': over the area as a whole can easily be plotted. As the graph shows, such is the variability of our climate that over the past 200 years, there have been at least half a dozen anomalies, in terms of excess temperature - the peaks on the graph denoting very hot years - approaching, or even exceeding, 20 °C. But there has been nothing remotely like 2003, when the anomaly is nearly four degrees. E.
Common Mistake: Some students hesitate because the passage says 3.78°C and the statement says approximately four degrees. That difference is normal in IELTS and this is a Synonym match, not a contradiction.
Paraphrasing: Passage: '3.78°C above the long-term norm' = Statement: 'approximately four degrees higher than that of the past'
Tips: When you see numbers, check if the statement allows small differences like 'about' or 'approximately'. IELTS often paraphrases numbers.
Key Vocabulary:
- norm = average
- approximately = about
Question Focus: Contradiction - the passage says the opposite of 'normal range'
Correct Answer: FALSE
Passage Reference: This is quite remarkable,' Professor Jones told The Independent. 'It's very unusual in a statistical sense. If this series had a normal statistical distribution, you wouldn't get this number. There tu
Why this is correct: Professor Jones says the temperatures are very unusual in a statistical sense and that you wouldn't get this number in a normal distribution. This directly contradicts the idea that it is within the normal range.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes choose NOT GIVEN because they miss the statistical language. But the passage clearly says the opposite, so this is a Contradiction trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'very unusual in a statistical sense' = Statement: 'within the normal range'
Tips: For FALSE, always look for strong opposite words like 'unusual', 'never', or 'nothing like this'.
Key Vocabulary:
- statistical = related to data
- distribution = typical spread of numbers
Question Focus: Cause identification - human actions linked to global warming
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: that the 2003 extreme may be directly attributed, not to natural climate variability, but to global warming caused by human actions. D.
Why this is correct: The passage says the extreme summer may be directly attributed to global warming caused by human actions. This clearly confirms that human factors are one of the reasons.
Common Mistake: Some students think scientists are unsure because of words like 'may'. But IELTS still counts this as TRUE because the cause is clearly stated. Missing this is a Qualification trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'global warming caused by human actions' = Statement: 'human factor is one of the reasons'
Tips: Words like 'may' or 'likely' do not make an answer NOT GIVEN if the cause is clearly explained.
Key Vocabulary:
- attribute = say something is caused by
- human actions = things people do
Question Focus: Missing specific claim - measurement frequency is not discussed
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: One of the most dramatic features of the summer was the hot nights, especially in the first half of August. In Paris, the temperature never dropped below 230°C (73.40°F) at all between 7 and 14 August, and the city recorded its warmest-ever night on 11-12 August, when the mercury did not drop below 25.50°C (77.90°F). Germany recorded its warmest ever night at Weinbiet in the Rhine valley with a lowest figure of 27.60°C (80.60°F) on 13 August, and similar record-breaking night-time temperatures were recorded in Switzerland and Italy. H.
Why this is correct: The passage talks about recorded temperatures, especially at night, but it never explains how often temperatures are measured. The passage does not discuss whether people measure temperature twice a day.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes answer FALSE because they cannot find the information. But there is no contradiction, only missing information. This is a classic Not Given trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'temperatures were recorded' = Statement: 'people measure temperature twice a day'
Tips: If the passage mentions the topic but not the specific detail, choose NOT GIVEN.
Key Vocabulary:
- recorded = officially measured
- measure = check temperature
Question Focus: Time comparison - effects before 2003
Correct Answer: TRUE
Passage Reference: Until now, the warming has been manifesting itself mainly in winters that have been less cold than in summers that have been much hotter.
Why this is correct: The passage explains that until now, warming showed more clearly in less cold winters rather than much hotter summers. This directly matches the statement.
Common Mistake: Some students miss the phrase 'until now' and think it refers to all time. Misreading time expressions causes a Time/tense trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'winters that have been less cold' = Statement: 'warmer winter'
Tips: Always underline time phrases like 'until now', 'before', or 'recently'. They are often tested.
Key Vocabulary:
- manifesting = showing
- less cold = warmer
Question Focus: Unsupported future action - building new resorts is not mentioned
Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN
Passage Reference: Last week, the United Nations predicted that winters were warming so quickly that winter sports would die out in Europe's lower-level ski resorts.
Why this is correct: The passage only says that winter sports would die out in Europe's lower-level ski resorts. It does not say anything about building new ski resorts at high altitude.
Common Mistake: Students sometimes infer new resorts will be built, but that idea comes from their own logic, not the text. This is an Over-interpreting Not Given trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'lower-level ski resorts would die out' = Statement: 'new ski resorts are to be built'
Tips: Never add your own ideas, even if they seem logical. IELTS only tests what is written.
Key Vocabulary:
- lower-level = low altitude
- die out = disappear
General Tips:
- TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the previous answer to help you locate the next one faster.
- To choose between FALSE and NOT GIVEN, ask: does the passage clearly say the opposite? If not, choose NOT GIVEN.
- Be careful with paraphrasing. IELTS often changes words but keeps the same meaning.
- Watch for time expressions like 'until now' or 'before'. They often decide the answer.
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