How much higher? How much faster? Reading Answers - Cambridge 4 Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 1

Manimegalai Samidurai

Author

19-09-2025

You can compare your solutions with the How much higher How much faster reading answers - Cambridge 4 Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 1 given in the below table.

Solution for How much higher? How much faster? 

1. True 5. Not given 9. injuries 13. B
2. Not given 6. True 10. training  
3. False 7. genetics 11. A  
4. False 8. power 12. D  

Not satisfied with your answers? Try one more time by practicing the passage of How much higher How much faster reading answers are given in this article. 

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How much higher How much faster reading answers are inspired from the Cambridge 4 Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 1. As an IELTS candidate, you must be conscious of the test patterns and the important reading passages. In the IELTS AC Reading Module, you will often find the How much higher how much faster reading passage. This article, like How much higher How much faster reading IELTS mentor, will help you to familiarize with IELTS reading test paper.

How much higher How much faster reading IELTS

In the IELTS exams, reading is one of the tough enough modules. Candidates' various skills like reading, skimming, scanning, grammar, vocabulary, logical thinking, keyword identification, etc… will be assessed using the most important reading passages with challenging IELTS reading question types. You can find How much higher How much faster passage in Cambridge 4 Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 1. 

Strategies to locate the How much higher How much faster reading answers easily

  • Optimize your knowledge and language skills to respond quickly to all the questions of How much higher How much faster reading.
  • Skim the whole reading passage given here and read the questions to find the proper keywords. 
  • Good keyword identification and vocabulary skills will be a great help here to find the solutions from the reading passage
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  • How much higher How much faster Cambridge is where you can find the complete practice test with the perfect solutions.
  • How much higher How much faster IELTS reading is the passage which is given below with different types of questions and added to that, an answer key is provided for your reference.

Read more IELTS reading tips before start practicing the exercises

Cambridge 4 Reading Test 4 Reading Passage 1 - How much higher How much faster reading passage

Read the entire passage with complete focus to answer all the questions (1-13). Also, How much higher How much faster reading answers with explanation are provided below the questions for your reference.

How Much Higher? How Much Faster?

Limits to human sporting performance are not yet insight

Since the early years of the twentieth century when the International Athletic Federation began keeping records, there has been a steady improvement in how fast athletes run, how high they jump and how far they are able to hurl massive objects, themselves included, through space. For the so-called power events –that require a relatively brief, explosive release of energy, like the 100-metre sprint and the long jump-times and distances have improved ten to twenty percent. In the endurance events, the results have been more dramatic. At the 1908 Olympics, John Hayes of the U.S. team ran to marathon in a time of 2:55:18. In 1999, Morocco’s Khalid Khannouchi set a new world record of 2:05:42, almost thirty percent faster.

No one theory can explain improvements in performance, but the most important factor has been genetics. ‘The athlete must choose his parents carefully,’ says Jesus Dapena, a sports scientist at Indiana University, invoking an oft-cited adage. Over the past century, the composition of the human gene pool has not changed appreciably, but with increasing global participation in athletics-and greater rewards to tempt athletes-it is more likely that individuals possessing the unique complement of genes for athletic performance can be identified early. ‘Was there someone like [sprinter] Michael Johnson in the 1920s?’ Dapena asks. ‘I’m sure there was, but his talent was probably never realized.’

Identifying genetically talented individuals is only the first step. Michael Yessis, an emeritus professor of Sports Science at California State University at Fullerton, maintains that ‘genetics only determines about one third of what an athlete can do. But with the right training, we can go much further with that one third than we’ve been going.’ Yessis believes that U.S. runners, despite their impressive achievements, are ‘running on their genetics’. By applying more scientific methods, ‘they’re going to go much faster’. These methods include strength training that duplicates what they are doing in their running events as well as plyometrics, a technique pioneered in the former Soviet Union.

Whereas most exercises are designed to build up strength or endurance, plyometrics focuses on increasing power-the rate at which an athlete can expend energy. When a sprinter runs, Yesis explains, her foot stays in contact with the ground for just under a tenth of a second, half of which is devoted to landing and the other half to pushing off. Plyometric exercises help athletes make the best use of this brief interval.

Nutrition is another area that sports trainers have failed to address adequately. ‘Many athletes are not getting the best nutrition, even through supplements,’ Yessis insists. Each activity has its own nutritional needs. Few coaches, for instance, understand how deficiencies in trace minerals can lead to injuries.

Focused training will also play a role in enabling records to be broken. ‘If we applied the Russian training model to some of the outstanding runners we have in this country,’ Yessis asserts, ‘they would be breaking records left and right.’ He will not predict by how much, however: ‘Exactly what the limits are it’s hard to say, but there will be increases even if only by hundredths of a second, as long as our training continues to improve.’

One of the most important new methodologies is biomechanics, the study of the body in motion. A biomechanic films an athlete in action and then digitizes her performance, recording the motion of every joint and limb in three dimensions. By applying Newton’s law to these motions, ‘we can say that this athlete’s run is not fast enough; that this one is not using his arms strongly enough during take-off,’ says Dapena, who uses these methods to help high jumpers. To date, however, biomechanics has made only a small difference to athletic performance.

Revolutionary ideas still come from the athletes themselves. For example, during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, a relatively unknown high jumper named Dick Fosbury won the gold by going over the bar backwards, in complete contradiction of all the received high-jumping wisdom, a move instantly dubbed the Fosbury flop. Fosbury himself did not know what he was doing. That understanding took the later analysis of biomechanics specialists. who put their minds to comprehending something that was too complex and unorthodox ever to have been invented through their own mathematical simulations. Fosbury also required another element that lies behind many improvements in athletic performance: an innovation in athletic equipment. In Fosbury’s case, it was the cushions that jumpers land on. Traditionally, high jumpers would land in pits filled with sawdust. But by Fosbury’s time, sawdust pits had been replaced by soft foam cushions, ideal for flopping.

In the end, most people who examine human performance are humbled by the resourcefulness of athletes and the powers of the human body. ‘Once you study athletics, you learn that it’s a vexingly complex issue,’ says John S.Raglin, a sports psychologist at Indiana University. ‘Core performance is not a simple or mundane thing of higher, faster, longer. So many variables enter into the equation, and our understanding in many cases is fundamental. We've got a long way to go.’ For the foreseeable future, records will be made to be broken.

How much higher How much faster reading questions

Questions 1-6

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

Write your solutions for questions (1-6) on your answer sheet

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

1. Modern official athletic records date from about 1900.

2. There was little improvement in athletic performance before the twentieth century.

3. Performance has improved most greatly in events requiring an intensive burst of energy.

4. Improvements in athletic performance can be fully explained by genetics.

5. The parents of top athletes have often been successful athletes themselves.

6. The growing international importance of athletics means that gifted athletes can be recognized at a younger age.

Read IELTS Reading True False Not Given to develop your answering skills

Questions 7-10

Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage.

Use ONE WORD for each answer.

Write your solutions for questions (7-10) on your answer sheet.

7. According to Professor Yessis, American runners are relying for their current success on 

8. Yessis describes a training approach from the former Soviet Union that aims to develop an athlete’s 

9. Yessis links an inadequate diet to 

10. Yessis claims that the key to setting new records is better 

Check out IELTS reading short answer questions

Questions 11-13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write your solutions for questions (11-13) on your answer sheet.

11. Biomechanics films are proving particularly useful because they enable trainers to

  1. highlight areas for improvement in athletes.
  2. assess the fitness levels of athletes.
  3. select top athletes.
  4. predict the success of athletes.

12. Biomechanics specialists used theoretical models to

  1. soften the Fosbury flop.
  2. create the Fosbury flop.
  3. correct the Fosbury flop.
  4. explain the Fosbury flop.

13. John S. Raglin believes our current knowledge of athletics is

  1. mistaken.
  2. basic.
  3. diverse.
  4. theoretical.

Check IELTS reading multiple choice questions to improve your understanding of the question type

How much higher How much faster reading answers with explanations

Pay attention to the instructions given before checking How much higher How much faster reading answers which are given below.

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

Questions (1 - 6) (IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given)

  • Question no 1  - Modern official athletic records date from about 1900.
Solution for question no 1  - True

Explanations - This answer can be found in the first line of the paragraph. Since the early years of the twentieth century, when the International Athletic Federation began keeping records,... 

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 1, line 1.

  • Question no 2 - There was little improvement in athletic performance before the twentieth century.
Solution for question no 2 - Not given

Explanations - If you would have noticed the second line of the first paragraph, you would have got to know that there is no mention of the twentieth century. See this statement, “there has been a steady improvement in how fast athletes run, how high they jump and how far they are able to hurl massive objects,... “

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 1, line 2

  • Question no 3 - Performance has improved most greatly in events requiring an intensive burst of energy.
Solution for question no 3 - False

Explanations - The author mentioned the improvement of time and distance in this statement, not the performance.  For the so-called power events –that require a relatively brief, explosive release of energy, like the 100-metre sprint and the long jump-times and distances have improved ten to twenty percent.

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 1, line 4

  • Question no 4 - Improvements in athletic performance can be fully explained by genetics.
Solution for question no 4 - False

Explanations - By seeing this statement, you can understand why the answer is false. No one theory can explain improvements in performance, but the most important factor has been genetics.

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 2, line 1

  • Question no 5 - The parents of top athletes have often been successful athletes themselves.
Solution for the question no 5 - Not given

Explanations - The author speaks about parents in the second paragraph, but did not mention the achievements of parents  

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 2, line 2

  • Question no 6 - The growing international importance of athletics means that gifted athletes can be recognized at a younger age.
Solution for question no 6 - True

Explanations - Find these lines in the second paragraph … but with increasing global participation in athletics-and greater rewards to tempt athletes-it is more likely that individuals possessing the unique complement of genes for athletic performance can be identified early.

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 2, line 5 

Questions (7 - 10) (IELTS Reading Sentence Completion)

  • Question no 7 - According to Professor Yessis, American runners are relying for their current success on ________. 
Solution for question no 7 - genetics 

Explanations - Yessis believes that U.S. runners, despite their impressive achievements, are ‘running on their genetics’.

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 3, line 4 

  • Question no 8 - Yessis describes a training approach from the former Soviet Union that aims to develop an athlete’s ________. 
Solution for question no 8 - power

Explanations - By applying more scientific methods, ‘they’re going to go much faster’. These methods include strength training that duplicates what they are doing in their running events as well as plyometrics, a technique pioneered in the former Soviet Union.

Whereas most exercises are designed to build up strength or endurance, plyometrics focuses on increasing power-the rate at which an athlete can expend energy.

Keyword location in the passage - End of paragraph 3 & beginning of paragraph 4

  • Question no 9 - Yessis links an inadequate diet to ____________.
Solution for question no 9 - injuries

Explanations - Many athletes are not getting the best nutrition, even through supplements,’ Yessis insists. Each activity has its own nutritional needs. Few coaches, for instance, understand how deficiencies in trace minerals can lead to injuries.

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 5, line 2 

  • Question no 10 - Yessis claims that the key to setting new records is better __________.
Solution for question no 10 - training

Explanations - Yessis asserts, ‘they would be breaking records left and right.’ He will not predict by how much, however: ‘Exactly what the limits are it’s hard to say, but there will be increases even if only by hundredths of a second, as long as our training continues to improve.’

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 6, line 3

Questions (11 - 13) (IELTS Reading Multiple choice questions)

  • Question no 11 - Biomechanics films are proving particularly useful because they enable trainers to
Solution for question no 11 - A - highlight areas for improvement in athletes

Explanations - A biomechanic films an athlete in action and then digitizes her performance, recording the motion of every joint and limb in three dimensions. By applying Newton’s law to these motions, ‘we can say that this athlete’s run is not fast enough; that this one is not using his arms strongly enough during take-off,

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 7, line 2

  • Question no 12 - Biomechanics specialists used theoretical models to 
Solution for question no 12 - D  - explain the Fosbury flop

Explanations - For example, during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, a relatively unknown high jumper named Dick Fosbury won the gold by going over the bar backwards, in complete contradiction of all the received high-jumping wisdom, a move instantly dubbed the Fosbury flop…. That understanding took the later analysis of biomechanics specialists. who put their minds to comprehending something that was too complex and unorthodox ever to have been invented through their own mathematical simulations. 

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 8, lines 1 & 5

  • Question no 13 - John S. Raglin believes our current knowledge of athletics is 
Solution for question no 13 - B - basic

Explanations - John S.Raglin says in the final paragraph,  ‘Core performance is not a simple or mundane thing of higher, faster, longer. So many variables enter into the equation, and our understanding in many cases is fundamental. 

Keyword location in the passage - Paragraph 9, line 4

Check the other reading passages

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Summary

“How much higher How much faster reading answers”  with the complete passage and the questions are provided in this article. And if you want to try other important reading passages, check the above links given.

Manimegalai Samidurai

About Author Manimegalai Samidurai

Manimegalai is a multifaceted professional, excelling as an author, writer, and study-abroad expert. Her vast knowledge of English proficiency exams, including IELTS, GRE, SAT, and PTE, and exceptional content writing skills make her a go-to resource for students seeking guidance and support in their foreign education journey. She is a trusted authority in writing content related to these test-prep exams, making her an invaluable resource for those seeking guidance. With her well-researched and informative blogs, articles, and study materials, Manimegalai has helped countless students achieve their desired band scores and get admissions to top-notch colleges & universities in countries like Canada, USA, UK, Australia, Ireland, etc. 

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