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Trees in Trouble Reading Answers
Author
19-09-2025
You can find the Trees in trouble reading answers cambridge, below. Trees in trouble is an academic reading passage, designed to test your academic reading skills.
| 1. vi | 5. iv | 9. (super-hot) fires | 13. Beetle |
| 2. x | 6. I | 10. (stored) carbon | |
| 3. ii | 7. vii | 11. Winds | |
| 4. ix | 8. North America | 12. Drought |
In this article, you will get the IELTS academic reading practice test and trees in trouble reading answers with explanations. Just practicing and finding the solutions will not be sufficient. You need to understand how the answering process works for each question type in order to excel in the IELTS reading test.
You are going to learn how to tackle the two IELTS reading question types - Matching Headings and Sentence Completion. Generally, you need to be attentive while reading the passage and answering the questions. And, make sure to double check your trees in trouble reading answers in order to avoid the mistakes.
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IELTS Academic Reading Passage: Trees in Trouble
Read the passage and answer the questions. Check the trees in trouble reading answers with explanation at the end of the practice test.
The headline of the passage: ‘Trees in Trouble’
- Big trees are incredibly important ecologically. For a start, they sustain countless other species. They provide shelter for many animals, and their trunks and branches can become gardens, hung with green ferns, orchids and bromeliads, coated with mosses and draped with vines. With their tall canopies (leaves and branches that form a cover high above the ground) basking in the sun, they capture vast amounts of energy. This allows them to produce massive crops of fruit, flowers and foliage that sustain much of the animal life in the forest.
- Only a small number of tree species have the genetic capacity to grow really big. The mightiest are native to North America, but big trees grow all over the globe, from the tropics to the boreal forests of the high latitudes. To achieve giant stature, a tree needs three things: the right place to establish its seedling, good growing conditions and lots of time with low adult mortality(no. of deaths within a particular group). Disrupt any of these, and you can lose your biggest trees.
- In some parts of the world, populations of big trees are dwindling because their seedlings cannot survive or grow. In southern India, for instance, an aggressive non-native shrub, Lantana camara, is invading the floor of many forests. Lantana grows so thickly that young trees often fail to take root. With no young trees to replace them, it is only a matter of time before most of the big trees disappear. Across much of northern Australia, gamba grass from Africa is overrunning native savannah woodlands. The grass grows up to four metres tall and burns fiercely, creating super hot fires that cause catastrophic tree mortality.
- Without the right growing conditions trees cannot get really big, and there is some evidence to suggest tree growth could slow in a warmer world, particularly in environments that are already warm. Having worked for decades at La Selva Biological Station in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, David and Deborah Clark and colleagues have shown that tree growth there declines markedly in warmer years. “During the day, their photosynthesis shuts down when it gets too warm, and at night they consume more energy because their metabolic rate increases, much as a reptile’s would when it gets warmer,” explains David Clark. With less energy produced in warmer years and more being consumed just to survive, there is even less energy available for growth.
- The Clarks’ hypothesis, if correct, means tropical forests would shrink over time. The largest, oldest trees would progressively die off and tend not to be replaced. According to the Clarks, this might trigger a destabilisation of the climate; as older trees die, forests would release some of their stored carbon into the atmosphere, prompting a vicious cycle of further warming, forest shrinkage and carbon emissions.
- Big trees face threats from elsewhere. The most serious is increasing mortality, especially of mature trees. Across much of the planet, forests of slow-growing ancient trees have been cleared for human use. In western North America, most have been replaced by monocultures of fast-growing conifers. Siberia’s forests are being logged at an incredible rate. Logging in tropical forests is selective but the timber cutters usually prioritise the biggest and oldest trees. In the Amazon, my colleagues and I found the mortality rate for the biggest trees had tripled in small patches of rainforest surrounded by pasture land. This happens for two reasons. First, as they grow taller, big trees become thicker and less flexible: when winds blow across the surrounding cleared land, there is nothing to stop their acceleration. When they hit the trees, the impact can snap them in half. Second, rainforest fragments dry out when surrounded by dry, hot pastures and the resulting drought can have devastating consequences: one four-year study has shown that death rates will double for smaller trees but will increase 4.5 times for bigger trees.
- Particular enemies to large trees are insects and disease. Across vast areas of western North America, increasingly mild winters are causing massive outbreaks of bark beetles. These tiny creatures can kill entire forests as they tunnel their way through the inside of trees. In both North America and Europe, fungus-causing diseases such as Dutch elm disease have killed off millions of stately trees that once gave beauty to forests and cities. As a result of human activity, such enemies reach even the remotest corners of the world, threatening to make the ancient giants a thing of the past.
Trees In Trouble Reading Questions
Questions 1-7 (Matching Headings)
Read each paragraph carefully and summarize it in order to understand the gist of the paragraph. It helps you to choose the correct heading)
The reading passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-x, as your answer to each question.
List of Headings
- i. How deforestation harms isolated trees
- ii. How other plants can cause harm
- iii. Which big trees support the most diverse species
- iv. Impact of big tree loss on the wider environment
- v. Measures to prevent further decline in big tree populations
- vi. How wildlife benefits from big trees
- vii. Risk from pests and infection
- viii. Ways in which industry uses big tree products
- ix. How higher temperatures slow the rate of tree growth
- x. Factors that enable trees to grow to significant heights
- Paragraph A
- Paragraph B
- Paragraph C
- Paragraph D
- Paragraph E
- Paragraph F
- Paragraph G
You can answer the IELTS reading matching headings questions by following this strategy
Questions 8-13 (Sentence Completion)
(Read the incomplete sentences and think of the possible synonyms that could fill the blank. Now, read the passage and locate the answer. Read the question once more and check whether your answer is correct or not.)
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
8. The biggest trees in the world can be found in ___________
9. Some trees in Northern Australia die because of __________ made worse by gamba grass.
10. The Clarks believe that the release of __________ from dead trees could lead to the death of more trees.
11. Strong ____________ are capable of damaging tall trees in the Amazon.
12. ____________ has a worse impact on tall trees than smaller ones.
13. In western Northern America, a species of ___________ has destroyed many trees.
This strategy could help you to tackle IELTS Reading Sentence completion
Trees In Trouble Reading Answers With Explanations
(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.)
Solutions for Matching Headings
1. Paragraph A = vi
Explanation: Big trees are incredibly important ecologically. For a start, they sustain countless other species. They provide shelter for many animals, and their trunks and branches can become gardens, hung with green ferns, orchids and bromeliads, coated with mosses and draped with vines.
It clearly suggests that wildlife gain benefits from big trees.
2. Paragraph B = x
Explanation: To achieve giant stature, a tree needs three things: the right place to establish its seedling, good growing conditions and lots of time with low adult mortality(no. of deaths within a particular group).
3. Paragraph C = ii
Explanation: In southern India, for instance, an aggressive non-native shrub, Lantana camara, is invading the floor of many forests. Lantana grows so thickly that young trees often fail to take root.
Above line mentions that Lantana (plant) grows in a way that harms young trees.
4. Paragraph D = ix
Explanation: Having worked for decades at La Selva Biological Station in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui, Costa Rica, David and Deborah Clark and colleagues have shown that tree growth there declines markedly in warmer years.
5. Paragraph E = iv
Explanation: …as older trees die, forests would release some of their stored carbon into the atmosphere, prompting a vicious cycle of further warming, forest shrinkage and carbon emissions.
6. Paragraph F = i
Explanation: Logging in tropical forests is selective but the timber cutters usually prioritise the biggest and oldest trees.
7. Paragraph G = vii
Explanation: In both North America and Europe, fungus-causing diseases such as Dutch elm disease have killed off millions of stately trees that once gave beauty to forests and cities.
Solutions for Sentence Completion
8. North America
Explanation: Only a small number of tree species have the genetic capacity to grow really big. The mightiest are native to North America..
9. (super-hot) fires
Explanation: The grass grows up to four metres tall and burns fiercely, creating super hot fires that cause catastrophic tree mortality.
10. (stored) carbon
Explanation: According to the Clarks, this might trigger a destabilisation of the climate; as older trees die, forests would release some of their stored carbon into the atmosphere, prompting a vicious cycle of further warming, forest shrinkage and carbon emissions.
11. winds
Explanation: In the Amazon, my colleagues and I found the mortality rate for the biggest trees had tripled in small patches of rainforest surrounded by pasture land.
….when winds blow across the surrounding cleared land, there is nothing to stop their acceleration. When they hit the trees, the impact can snap them in half.
This explains that wind blows cause harm to the biggest trees in amazon.
12. drought
Explanation: …and the resulting drought can have devastating consequences: one four-year study has shown that death rates will double for smaller trees but will increase 4.5 times for bigger trees.
13. beetle
Explanation: Across vast areas of western North America, increasingly mild winters are causing massive outbreaks of bark beetles. These tiny creatures can kill entire forests as they tunnel their way through the inside of trees.
This line even mentions how beetles destroy the trees.
Check the Other Reading Passages
Click to get the other reading passages and answers.
Conclusion
Our “Trees In Trouble Reading Answers” article would have helped you to be aware of your mistakes. It could help you to solve the question types efficiently. And, also tips and strategies we laid out can improve your performance in IELTS exam.
About Author Dinesh Pandiyan
Dinesh is a highly experienced content writer who specializes in language proficiency tests like IELTS, GRE, PTE, TOEFL, and study abroad. He provides valuable insights and tips to students on various modules of these tests, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. His articles are well-researched, informative, and engaging, offering practical guidance to students looking to succeed in their academic pursuits. Additionally, Dinesh has coordinated with IELTS trainers to prepare test preparation materials, guides, practice tests, and mock tests, and worked closely with counsellors for study abroad consultancy, providing guidance on choosing the right institution, preparing for interviews, and writing effective statements of purpose (SOP) and letters of recommendation (LOR). Students can benefit from Dinesh's comprehensive knowledge and experience by checking out his articles.
Kanan International is a study abroad consultancy that offers reliable services, products, and solutions for students and education institutions. We support students throughout their study abroad journey, ensuring a hassle-free experience. Our expertise and commitment to excellence make us the go-to partner for expanding global horizons. The company provides coaching for IELTS, GRE, TOEFL, and SAT exams and services like visa consultation, accommodation, scholarship assistance, and education loans.
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