Scanning is looking quickly through a text to find specific information such as names, dates, numbers, or keywords. It's an essential skill for the IELTS Reading test.
In this exercise, you'll practice scanning a text to find specific information. For each question, the timer will start when you click 'Find It!' and stop when you submit your answer.
The Great Barrier Reef, located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, is the world's largest coral reef system. Stretching over 2,300 kilometers and covering an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometers, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981. The reef is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 411 types of hard coral, 134 species of sharks and rays, 6 of the world's 7 species of threatened marine turtles, and more than 30 species of marine mammals.
Dr. Maria Chen, a marine biologist who has studied the reef since 2005, published her groundbreaking research on coral bleaching in the journal Nature on April 15, 2019. Her team documented that between 2016 and 2018, approximately 30% of the reef's coral died due to severe bleaching events triggered by rising ocean temperatures. According to her findings, water temperatures exceeded 32°C in some areas, far above the 27-28°C that most coral species can tolerate.
The Australian government allocated $500 million AUD in 2018 for reef protection and restoration efforts. This funding supports the Reef 2050 Plan, which aims to improve water quality, reduce pollution, and mitigate the effects of climate change. Local communities are also involved in conservation, with over 70 volunteer groups participating in regular monitoring activities.
Tourism related to the Great Barrier Reef generates approximately $6.4 billion AUD annually and supports around 64,000 jobs. However, according to a report published by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on November 3, 2020, visitor numbers decreased by 32% between 2018 and 2020, partly due to concerns about the reef's deteriorating condition.
Scientists predict that without significant global action to reduce carbon emissions, the reef could experience bleaching events every two years by 2034. Dr. James Wilson from the University of Queensland stated in his December 2021 paper that "even limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels may not be sufficient to save the reef in its current form." Despite these challenges, restoration techniques such as assisted evolution and artificial reefs have shown promise in small-scale trials conducted by the Australian Institute of Marine Science between 2017 and 2022.
Scanning is about finding specific information quickly. A good scanner can locate key details in seconds without reading the entire text.