Termite Mounds
Read Termite Mounds and check the IELTS Reading answers. To most of us, termites are destructive insects which can cause damage on a devastating scale. But according to Dr Rupert Soar of Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, these pests may serve a useful pur…
Passage preview
To most of us, termites are destructive insects which can cause damage on a devastating scale. But according to Dr Rupert Soar of Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, these pests may serve a useful purpose for us after all. His multidisciplinary team of British and American engineers and biologists has set out to investigate the giant mounds built by termites in Namibia, in sub-Saharan Africa, as part of the most extensive study of these structures ever undertaken.
Vocabulary from this passage
12 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- arid adjective
Extremely dry because of little rainfall, making conditions hostile for most plant and animal life.
Farmers in arid regions increasingly rely on drought-resistant crop varieties.
- evaporation noun
The process by which liquid turns into vapour, helping the mound regulate moisture from its top.
Rapid evaporation from the reservoir has worsened the region's water shortage.
- expel verb
To force something out of a place or system, such as used gases being driven from the nest.
The ventilation system expels stale air and draws fresh air into the building.
- homeostasis noun
The tendency of an organism or system to keep its internal conditions, such as temperature, stable despite external change.
Sweating is one mechanism through which the body maintains homeostasis in hot weather.
- hostile environment noun
A harsh setting whose extreme conditions make survival or comfortable habitation very difficult.
Microbes have been found thriving in a hostile environment beneath the polar ice.
- intricate adjective
Having many closely connected parts or details arranged in a complicated yet precise way, like the mound's tunnel network.
The watchmaker assembled an intricate mechanism from hundreds of tiny components.
- lattice noun
A framework or network of crossing elements that forms a regular, open structure, as in the mound's tunnels.
Light filtered through the wooden lattice that covered the courtyard.
- outsource verb
To transfer a function or task to an outside agent, here termites relying on fungus for digestion.
Many firms outsource routine accounting work to specialist agencies overseas.
- provision noun
The act of supplying something needed, here an uninterrupted supply of fresh air for the colony.
Government provision of clean water significantly reduced disease in the settlement.
- self-sufficient adjective
Able to meet one's own needs, for energy or resources, without relying on outside help.
The remote village became largely self-sufficient after installing solar panels and wells.
- suffocate verb
To die or be harmed through lack of breathable air, which the tunnel system prevents in the nest.
Fish suffocate in polluted lakes where oxygen levels have fallen dangerously low.
- wind energy noun
Power obtained from moving air, here captured by the mound's tunnels to drive ventilation.
Coastal countries are investing heavily in wind energy to cut fossil fuel dependence.
Answers with explanations
- 27. iii
Paragraph A contrasts the common view of termites as **destructive pests** with the new finding that they **serve a useful purpose**, which is a clear example of **reconsidering their reputation** (Heading iii).
- 28. vii
Paragraph B focuses entirely on the extreme scale and depth of the mounds (up to eight metres high), directly matching Heading vii (**the astonishing physical dimensions** of the termite mound).
- 29. iv
Paragraph C describes what the mound *does*: drawing in air, expelling gas, regulating temperature, and controlling moisture. These are its **principal functions**, matching Heading iv.
- 30. ix
Paragraph D describes a **mutually beneficial relationship** between termites and a fungus. The termites **farm** the fungus and **feed** it wood pulp, while the fungus **breaks down** the pulp into **digestible** food and cellulose for the insects. Each side gains, which matches the idea of mutual benefit. Do not choose the heading about principal functions of the mound, because the paragraph is about the partnership between two organisms rather than about what the mound does.
- 31. ii
Paragraph E suggests that the mound functions like an organ outside the body, leading scientists to reconsider what a 'living' thing is. This maps to Heading ii (**challenging our assumptions about the nature of life**).
- 32. i
Paragraph F outlines the exact step-by-step **methods used to investigate** the mounds (plaster, slicing, photographing, and digital scanning), corresponding to Heading i.
- 33. vi
Paragraph G lists the future applications of this research for human architecture, matching Heading vi (**some potential benefits of understanding termite architecture**).
- 34. tunnels
The diagram illustrates the mound's ventilation system. A noun is needed for what forms a **network** that draws air. The text refers to a "complex system of **tunnels**".
- 35. air
The gap requires a noun describing what the termites are supplied with. The text notes the tunnels ensure a continuous (constant) provision of **air**.
- 36. moisture
The diagram note points to the **cellar** helping to **control** levels of something. The text confirms the cellar automatically regulates (controls) **moisture**.
- 37. evaporation
The diagram indicates that the **top of the mound permits** an action. The text explicitly links the top of the mound with **evaporation**.
- 38. YES
The writer claims that the waste (**refuse material**) never leaves the structure, acting as an **internal waste-recycling system**. This directly supports the statement, so the answer is YES.
- 39. NO
The statement claims the reconstruction uses a **single photograph**. The text directly contradicts this by stating they carve it into slices and take sequential photographs (**pictures**, plural). Thus, the answer is NO.
- 40. YES
The writer cites Soar's hope that the findings from the termite mounds will aid in building habitats suited for a world with rising temperatures and limited fuel (**future energy crises**). This aligns with the statement, making it YES.