# AIRPORTS ON WATER: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 1, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 1, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | A | An island six kilometres long and with a total area of 1248 hectares is being created there. ... This is a 520-hectare island built in Osaka Bay |
| 2 | A | The changes in China's Pearl River delta, however, are more dramatic than these natural fluctuations. |
| 3 | B | the site was shifted a further five kilometres. That put it in deeper water (around 20 metres) |
| 4 | C | You can engineer around these problems, or you can engineer them out. Kansai took the first approach; Chek Lap Kok is taking the second. |
| 5 | B | The usual way to reclaim land is to pile sand rock on to the seabed. ... opted for a more aggressive approach |
| 6 | B | Most of the rock will become the foundations for the airport's runways and its taxiways. |
| 7 | E | Most of the terminal buildings will be placed above the site of the existing island. |
| 8 | G | provide a two-metre capping layer over the granite platform |
| 9 | F | piled on top of the layer of stiff clay that the massive dredging had laid bare |
| 10 | E | The brunt of a typhoon will be deflected by the neighbouring island of Lantau |
| 11 | J | the sea walls should guard against the rest |
| 12 | G | the downpours of the summer monsoon - is also being taken into account |
| 13 | D | A mat-like material called geotextile is being laid across the island to separate the rock and sand layers. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. A.** You need the airport whose island covers more than 1000 hectares. The Pearl River delta island for Chek Lap Kok has a total area of 1248 hectares, while the Kansai island in Osaka Bay is only 520 hectares, so only Chek Lap Kok qualifies.

**2. A.** The statement is about building in a river delta. The opening paragraph describes the new island being created in China's Pearl River delta, which is the site of Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok airport, while Kansai is placed in Osaka Bay, so the answer is A.

**3. B.** This item asks which airport stands in the open sea. Kansai was meant to be one kilometre offshore but was moved a further five kilometres into deeper water in Osaka Bay, whereas Chek Lap Kok joins two existing islands, so B, Kansai only, fits.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/airports-on-water/answers).

[Practice AIRPORTS ON WATER](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/airports-on-water)