IELTS Real Reading Test Pre 2025 - Vol 1 Test 5 with Practice Test, Answers And Explanation
Luyện tập đề IELTS Real Reading Test Pre 2025 - Vol 1 Test 5 được lấy từ cuốn sách Real Test Pre 2025 - Vol 1 với trải nghiệm thi IELTS trên máy và giải thích đáp án chi tiết bằng Linearthinking, kèm answer key và list từ vựng IELTS cần học trong bài đọc.
IELTS Real Reading Test Pre 2025 - Vol 1 Test 5 with Practice Test, Answers And Explanation
Passage
❓ Câu hỏi passage 1
Question 1 - 6
Complete the notes below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
The Melting of Sea Ice
Background
Before industrialization, only
1.
affected the climate.
2.
is a term that refers to the difference between polar warming and tropical warming.
Explanation
Snow
3.
most of the sunlight that falls on it.
Oceans soak up the majority of sunlight that hits them.
Ice melts in the
4.
, causing the region to warm.
Consequences
Islands and
5.
are at risk if Greenland ice sheet disappears.
Extreme weather could become more dangerous.
Risk of
6.
leakage into the atmosphere is a worry.
Question 7 - 13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
7
Rising levels of greenhouse gasses have increased temperatures in the Antarctic.
8
Increase in wave action accelerates the melting of sea ice in the summer.
9
Coastal cities and small island countries may disappear if the Greenland ice sheet melts completely.
10
The darker surface exposed as a result of melting ice absorbs less heat.
11
The amount of water in soil determines whether carbon dioxide or methane is released when permafrost thaws.
12
The most effective way to address Arctic warming is Direct Air Capture technology.
13
Direct Air Capture technique captures carbon dioxide more efficiently than plants and trees.
Passage
❓ Câu hỏi passage 2
Question 14 - 18
Reading Passage has six paragraphs A-F
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-F
14
Details of how modern developments have created positive and negative consequences for the industry
15
An account of opposition to the use of background music
16
A comparison of customer spending patterns with and without background music
17
A mention of how background music can make shoppers more responsive to shop assistants
18
Details of a project which required different music in various parts of a building
Question 19 - 23
Look at the following statements and the list of experts below.
Match each statement with the correct expert, A-E.
Write the correct letter, A-E.
List of Findings
A
Rob Wood
B
Nigel Rodgers
C
Adrian North
D
Rhonda Hadi
E
Richard Hampson
19
It is difficult to understand a client's specific wish.
20
Background music is especially beneficial to the tourism industry.
21
Background music has more effect on people who are spending less.
22
A creative music expert is crucial for businesses choosing background music.
23
Buying goods does not require a particular environment.
Question 24 - 26
Choose ONE WORD ONL Y from the passage for each answer.
The history of background music
In 1920, George Squier developed a way of transmitting music using a system of wires. His company claimed that at work could be improved with the use of its audio programmes. However, in this audio format there was silence between each short musical section. Gradually, the of the music increased. Muzak became the template for music in businesses for years to come. Different ways existed however; some companies delivered pre-recorded music in the form of a cartridge. Later, in the 1970s, tapes were used, but the real change came with the move to CDs. With these, background music specialists were able to arrange music selections into , on a computer.
Passage
❓ Câu hỏi passage 3
Question 27 - 30
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes on your answer sheet.
27
What is the reviewer doing in the first paragraph?
A
defining terms used in the book
B
outlining the approach taken by Hoopes
C
comparing different management theories
D
summarising Hoopes' key ideas
28
The reviewer uses the phrase "credibility wanes" in the first paragraph to suggest that Hoopes
A
over-simplifies management theories
B
is relying on evidence which is out of date
C
is not qualified to discuss management theory
D
does not provide adequate evidence to validate his arguments
29
How did the Gilbreths and Henry Gantt differ from Frederick Taylor?
A
They placed less emphasis on motivation.
B
They were less convinced by the need for worker productivity.
C
They had a more sympathetic approach to the workers.
D
They defined efficiency in a different way.
30
The reviewer claims that Mary Parker Follett
A
was the best-known female management theorist of her generation.
B
put forward a greater number of theories than her male counterparts.
C
made a significant contribution to the development of management theory.
D
was responsible for promoting the rights of women in the workplace.
Question 31 - 35
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In following statements below, choose
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
31
Hoopes should have made an effort to present less biased opinions of the gurus described.
32
Hoopes devotes less attention to the gurus he dislikes, such as Taylor.
33
Hoopes exposes the limitations of Mayo's arguments.
34
Hoopes' view of Mayo is in line with that of other management commentators.
35
It is unclear why Hoopes prefers Follett to Taylor.
Question 36 - 40
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.
Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes on your answer sheet.
Top-down and bottom-up management theory
Hoopes is critical of both top-down and bottom-up management theories. He believes that while the bottom-up approach claims to be more humane and principled, it is actually just as as top-down management. In his view, very few working environments are genuinely , and while top-down systems are ultimately more in terms of results, top-down management power is not as as the gurus maintain. Unfortunately, the information which Hoopes presents to support these views is entirely and he fails to offer any evidence-based analysis.
A
misleading
B
abusive
C
significant
D
successful
E
democratic
F
impractical
G
detailed
H
positive
I
subjective
DOL IELTS Đình Lực
05/05/2026
📖 Bài đọc passage 1
Arctic Warming
Before the 19th century, the balance between incoming energy from the sun and outgoing radiation from the earth kept the planet's average temperature relatively stable. Only natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and variations in solar output, caused periods of relative warming and cooling. Today, however, thanks to human-driven activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, industrial processes, deforestation and agriculture, global carbon dioxide levels are rising rapidly, which has led to an average global temperature increase of approximately 1°C since 1900.
This number may seem small, but the Arctic region has actually warmed by about 2°C in this time. This disparity in warming between the poles and the tropics is a phenomenon known as polar amplification. In just the last 30 years, areas of Arctic sea ice larger than Norway, Sweden, and Denmark combined have melted away. In the documentary Under Thin Ice, diver and underwater explorer Jill Heinerth travels to the Arctic regions of Greenland and Northern Canada to document what is happening above and below this rapidly disappearing ice. "The Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on the planet," says Heinerth. "And it's really evident here."
There is a scientific explanation for why this is occurring. Fresh snow is the brightest natural surface on earth, as it reflects nearly 85% of solar radiation that hits it. Oceans, on the other hand, are the darkest natural surface on earth, and they only reflect about 10% of sunlight, absorbing the remaining 90%. In the winter, the Arctic Ocean is covered in ice, acting as an insulating blanket for the ocean below. In the springtime, this ice melts and exposes the dark ocean underneath, which leads to warming of the region, and this warming melts even more ice, resulting in a positive feedback loop. This process of polar amplification is stronger in the Arctic than it is in Antarctica, and this is because the Arctic is primarily an ocean covered in sea ice, while Antarctica is an elevated landmass that is covered in thicker layers of ice and snow. In fact, the average temperature of Antarctica has not changed in the last several decades, despite an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the autumn, large storms in the open ocean create more waves that cause the Arctic waters to mix with warmer waters, which increases the heat absorbed in the summer, making ice formation more difficult again in the autumn. These increased temperatures have also spread over the land. The Arctic land that was once covered in snow during the summer has shrunk in size significantly, and this darker land absorbs more heat than before, further warming the Arctic and the rest of the planet.
However, this melted water does not simply remain on the surface to freeze again in the fall. Instead, it sinks down into the ice sheet through large holes called moulins, which lubricates the ice sheet and causes glaciers to move more rapidly and release more icebergs into the ocean. The level of melting of the Greenland ice sheet is a major indicator of potential sea level rise; if it completely melts, global sea levels could rise by as much as 6 metres, endangering coastal cities and small island nations while making dangerous weather events, such as floods and hurricanes, even more deadly.
The most troubling effect of this feedback loop is the release of methane into the atmosphere. The Arctic stores an enormous amount of carbon, mostly in the soil, which is permanently stored in perennially frozen land called permafrost. Humans release around 9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year through industrial activities. It is estimated that an astounding 14,000 billion tonnes of carbon exist in permafrost soil alone, or the equivalent of 155 years worth of fossil fuel combustion. As this permafrost melts, plants and animals that were frozen under the ice begin to decay, and if there is no restriction on oxygen, this releases mostly carbon dioxide. However, if the soil is waterlogged, fermentation occurs and this discharges a gas called methane. Although it only lingers in the atmosphere for a fraction of the time, methane traps heat in the atmosphere around 23 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide.
As the situation nears its tipping point, a global campaign is underway to actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere manually, using techniques such as Direct Air Capture, a process of capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air surrounding us, as opposed to direct capture from point sources, such as factories, and sequestering this carbon directly or utilizing it for other purposes. This is what plants do naturally, but Direct Air Capture does it much more rapidly and requires less land space. In addition, it delivers the carbon dioxide in a pure, condensed form that can easily be stored in the ground or reused. The success of such efforts will likely spell the difference between a prosperous and sustainable future for mankind and a descent into bleak, climate-driven chaos.
🔥 Đáp án & giải thích 1
1
natural processes
Giải thích chi tiết
☺️ Ứng dụng Linearthinking để giải quyết dạng bài Gap Fill
Step 01: Read the question to understand (main idea + detail) + Predict Word Form + Meaning
Simplified: Only _________ affected the climate before industrialization
Prediction: Danh từ (N) → Một loại yếu tố gây ảnh đến khí hậu.
-------
Step 02: Locate relevant information
🔍 Từ khoá: “before industrialization”, “climate”, “affected”, ”caused”, ”natural”
→ Dựa vào các từ khoá trên -> Tìm được trích dẫn ở đoạn 1.
-------
Step 03: Read relevant information to understand (main + detail)
📌 Trích dẫn: “Before the 19th century, ... only natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and variations in solar output, caused periods of relative warming and cooling. Today, however, thanks to human-driven activities ..."
Simplified: Only natural processes caused warming and cooling periods
Main idea: Trước công nghiệp hóa (trước thế kỉ 19) → Chỉ các quá trình tự nhiên (núi lửa, thay đổi bức xạ mặt trời) gây biến đổi khí hậu
-------
Step 04: Compare meaning with meaning
Trong bài đọc: Trước công nghiệp hóa, chỉ các quá trình tự nhiên (= natural processes) tác động đến khí hậu.
Trong câu hỏi: Trước công nghiệp hóa, chỉ _________ tác động đến khí hậu.
The background music industry has become more sophisticated and more influential than many people realise
A
A. Music can be surprisingly powerful, even when it is played in the background and is barely noticeable. Over recent decades, creating background music has become a booming industry. Researchers have found that music played in commercial settings can have an impact on how much time we think has passed while waiting in a queue, how engaged customers are with sales staff, and even how sweet or bitter food tastes.
B
Rob Wood is the founder of Music Concierge in the UK, a company that chooses background music for businesses. Some clients hire Wood because they want to influence behaviour, others seek to create a certain atmosphere, culture or ambience. The core of a music consultant's work is creating distinct, cohesive musical identities for brands. In 2018, Wood worked on music for a new hotel. His brief was to produce distinct playlists for separate areas: the lobby, the restaurant and the gym. The hotel manager explained every detail: the build materials, the history, and a prediction of the average restaurant bill. Much of Wood's job involves taking abstract suggestions and turning them into music. A large amount of intuition is also required. It is a complex process and part of his job is comprehending what businesses really want, which can be very demanding. It is sometimes hard to know whether he should deliver something that will precisely match expectations or pleasantly surprise them.
C
In the 1920s, George Owen Squier, a former US army officer, developed a new way to transmit audio through wires. His idea led to the creation of Wired Music (renamed Muzak), which enabled businesses to play music throughout offices and commercial premises. In its early days, Muzak sold itself on the basis that its music would enhance job performance. Its programme for offices and factories played classical recordings in 15-minute sequences, alternated with silence. Each time the music sequence resumed, it rose in intensity. Muzak set the template for background music that would persist for decades. In terms of distribution, Muzak used wires to convey its music; the company sent a bulky cartridge to its customers through the post and it was then played through a specially designed device. In the 1970s, the introduction of affordable multi-deck tape players suddenly made it easy for businesses to choose and play music continuously. The CD was the first digital format for music and, by the late 1990s, it had enabled background music companies to develop digital libraries where tracks could be organised according to preference. But that was just a taste of the new world of infinite choice that was to come.
D
Despite technological advances, it's the influence that background music has on customer behaviour which is driving its growth. Psychologists believe that music influences consumers in two main ways. The first is physical; numerous studies have confirmed that we often subconsciously match what we are doing to what we hear. For instance, one study found that diners chewed faster when higher-tempo music was played. The second approach focuses on the associations that music can trigger. Another study revealed that diners in a cafeteria were willing to part with more money when classical music was played in the background than when there was none at all. One explanation, researchers suggested, was that diners associated classical music with quality.
E
However, it is the inoffensive nature of this kind of background music that creates some of the industry's fiercest critics. A UK group, Pipedown, founded by Nigel Rodgers, campaigns 'for freedom from unwanted music in public places'. The group claims that such music is impossible to escape and adds to the overall levels of noise pollution in public. 'You're not going for a special sort of atmosphere, you're just going to do your shopping,' Rodgers said. One of Pipedown's boldest claims is that there is 'no genuine evidence' that background music increases sales. Opinions vary on this question, although most professionals do not share Pipedown's position. Adrian North, a psychology professor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, argues that small purchases are where it is most possible to influence consumers. He conducted a study that found that customers were more likely to choose either French or German wine, depending on which of the respective countries' music they heard, something he contrasted with a decision like buying a car where music would not have such an impact. Others argue that it makes more sense to think about the influence of background music in terms of subtle, long-term benefits, rather than immediate impact on sales. Rhonda Hadi, marketing professor at Oxford University, UK, believes companies that provide an experience, such as flights or accommodation, can reap the greatest rewards. She believes that people rely on any cues they can to gauge the quality of the service that they've received'.
F
Companies have capitalised on the sweeping changes to the world of retail in recent years. Many businesses are no longer just functional places to buy things, they are presented as an experience. Since 2008, streaming music via the internet has become the way most people listen to music. For background music companies, streaming is both a threat and an opportunity. On the one hand, companies can select and tailor the music they deliver to businesses with greater speed, flexibility and precision than ever before. On the other hand, access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist. However, Richard Hampson at Imagesound believes a real-life curator is indispensable.He emphasises the intuitive side to his job. 'It's always been about feel and human touch,' he argues. 'Human taste is really important.'
🔥 Đáp án & giải thích 2
14
F
Giải thích chi tiết
Ứng dụng Linearthinking để giải quyết dạng bài Matching Information
📌 Dạng Matching Information chúng ta nên làm cuối cùng, sau khi đã làm các dạng câu hỏi khác nhé DOLBIES, bởi vì lúc này mình đã đọc và hiểu nội dung của bài rồi → sẽ nhanh chóng tìm được vị trí đáp án hơn!!
-------
Step 1: Phân tích câu hỏi (Matching Information) Details of how modern developments have created positive and negative consequences for the industry .
Dự đoán thông tin cần tìm (SPECIFY): Đoạn đúng phải có đủ 2 mảnh song song
Một “modern development” (ví dụ: công nghệ mới, internet, streaming, digital tools, AI, v.v.)
Nó tạo ra cả lợi ích lẫn tác hại cho ngành (thường sẽ có cấu trúc kiểu on the one hand… on the other hand… / both… and… / pros vs cons).
-------
Step 2: Locate bằng chứng
Đọc các đoạn để tìm đoạn nào nói rõ “phát triển hiện đại” + “2 mặt tích cực/tiêu cực”.
→ Đoạn F nổi bật vì có khung rất rõ: “streaming” và cấu trúc “On the one hand… On the other hand…” (một mặt… mặt khác…).
Câu bằng chứng trong F (trích ý chính):
“Since 2008, streaming music via the internet …”
“streaming is both a threat and an opportunity.”
“On the one hand, companies can select and tailor… with greater speed, flexibility and precision .”
“On the other hand, access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist .”
-------
Step 3: Đối chiếu paraphrasing (để chắc chắn match đúng)
modern developments = streaming music via the internet
positive (consequences) = companies can select / tailor the music ... with greater speed, flexibility and precision ...
negative consequences = access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist
⇒ Vì vậy thông tin trong câu hỏi khớp chính xác với Paragraph F.
-------
❌ Những đáp án “bẫy” hay dính (vì skim/scan)
Bẫy đoạn C: có nhiều “developments” về công nghệ (wires, tape players, CD, digital libraries). Skim thấy toàn công nghệ nên dễ chọn. Nhưng C chủ yếu là lịch sử phát triển & cách phân phối/định dạng, không nhấn rõ cặp tác động trái chiều (positive + negative) cho industry theo dạng “một mặt… mặt khác…”.
Bẫy đoạn B: nói về sự “complex process”, “intuition”, “demanding”, dễ bị hiểu nhầm là “negative consequence”. Nhưng B là mô tả công việc của music consultant, không phải “modern developments tạo ra 2 mặt tác động cho ngành”.
Book Review - False Prophets: The Gurus Who Created Modern Management and Why Their Ideas Are Bad for Business Today
by James Hoopes
James Hoopes is a historian who has written numerous books on business management. One of his best-known books is False Prophets, which covers the phenomenon of 'business management gurus' in the USA that started towards the end of the 19th century and has continued to the present. First and foremost, this book is a series of biographical sketches of the key business management thinkers, from Frederick Taylor (the 19th-century industrialist who created scientific management theory) to Peter Drucker (the academic accredited with founding modern management in the 1950s). However, the book also reads as a series of reviews or critiques of the various business management theories advanced by those gurus. This is where Hoopes' credibility wanes; he's prone to unsupported generalizations and seems to have his own agenda, ultimately promoting a theory of the proper role of management that is both ill-defined and also outside the scope of his biographical treatments.
Hoopes traces the division of management theory into two broad schools: top-down, which emphasizes the power of the manager and concentrates on convincing (or forcing) workers to do what they don't want to do, and bottom-up, in which managers believe that the workers are the ones with the control and the best a manager can do is persuade them. Frederick Taylor, who pioneered a top-down style in the 1870s, is heavily criticized for embodying all the worst qualities of the bullying boss in his quest to improve efficiency.
Many of the management thinkers in the early part of the 20th century were also looking at how to improve efficiency. The husband and wife team Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Gantt (who advocated bonus pay, rather than threats, as a motivational tool) either tried to soften Taylor's tactics or disdained them altogether, while trying to combine efficient processes with consideration for the workers. Then there's Mary Parker Follett, the influential political theorist and philosopher. Along with Lillian Gilbreth, Follett represented a pioneering female voice in American business. Maybe more than any other business management guru, she added new, substantive theories, which are still reflected in management practice today.
Looking across all the biographical sketches, we see that many of the gurus have a similar background, which allowed them to promote their management theories. So Taylor and Frank Gilbreth each had inventions that helped give them the success and notoriety that in turn allowed them to advocate what were separate management theories (often, not surprisingly, theories that they in tum used to promote adoption of their inventions, with all the associated personal gain that entailed). Taylor and Follett undoubtedly leveraged their upper-class upbringings to ingratiate themselves with business owners.
There is limited coverage of the more modem management theories. The history of W. Edwards Deming's public service for the U.S. government in the 1940s before he became A business guru is welcome, because many books about Deming omit or minimize that phase of his life. Hoopes sometimes gushes over Peter Drucker, who, along with Follett, is clearly one of his favorites of the gurus. What seems lacking in the biographical sketches, though, are detailed treatments of the most recent theories put forward by significant gurus such as Tom Peters and Jim Collins.
Hoopes, refreshingly, does not try to hide his opinions about these people and pretend to be neutral: his biases are evident from the start. Hoopes labels Taylor "the demon," but he does not automatically give support to more humane management thinkers, either. Thus Elton Mayo, whose psychological approach to management inspired much of the bottom-up theories in the mid-20th century, is even more heavily criticized than Taylor. The Mayo chapter is one of the best, in part because Mayo's disciples gathered so much data that Hoopes can pick it apart and demonstrate with specificity how Mayo proffered theories that contradicted his own research findings.
Hoopes' biographical approach-each guru gets his or her own chapter-has its pros and cons. On the one hand, the biographical details sometimes get in the way of the analysis: it remains an open question whether Hoopes dislikes Taylor and favors Mary Parker Follett for their different approaches to management theory, or because Taylor was a bully and Follett a nice person. But Hoopes' prose is clear and remarkably free of academic pretensions; he presents complicated ideas simply, but without condescension.
So, let us tum to the more problematic part of Hoopes' book: the critiques of the management gurus' theories. It might help to break down the key theses that Hoopes advances, to better pinpoint where he goes wrong. Bottom-up management, he argues, is even worse than top-down; rather than limiting the potential abuses of managerial power, it cloaks such abuses in a false morality. He also argues that Americans believe in sociopolitical democracy but that most workplaces lack such democracy. He claims that top-down workplace hierarchies produce better results than democratic organization structures and concludes that people need to accept that top-down management power is necessary to some degree, though its importance is overstated by the management gurus.
Basically, this book sets out these theories, but it never gets around to proving (or disproving) most of them. It would be possible to make evidence-based analyses of each of these points but Hoopes does not even attempt to do so. Instead, he merely draws his own personal conclusions based on the anecdotes and observations contained in his biographical sketches.
🔥 Đáp án & giải thích 3
27
B
Giải thích chi tiết
Ứng dụng Linearthinking để giải quyết dạng bài Multiple Choice
Step 01: Read the question to understand
Simplified: What is the reviewer doing in the first paragraph?
Main idea: Ý chính mà tác giả muốn thể hiện trong đoạn 1 là gì?
-----------------
Step 02: Locate relevant information
🔍 Từ khóa: “first paragraph”
→ Đọc toàn bộ đoạn 1 → Xác định nội dung chính của đoạn.
-----------------
Step 03: Read relevant information to understand
📌 Trích dẫn: “James Hoopes is a historian who has written numerous books on ..." (Đoạn 1)
Dựa vào phần Simplify & Connection ở trên, có thể suy ra:
=> Main idea của cả đoạn: Người review phác thảo phương pháp tiếp cận của Hoopes (kết hợp tiểu sử + phê bình) rồi chỉ ra điểm yếu.
-----------------
Step 04: Compare meaning with meaning
A. defining terms used in the book
❌ Đoạn không giải thích khái niệm chuyên môn nào.
B. outlining the approach taken by Hoopes
✅ Trùng khớp: đoạn mô tả cách Hoopes viết – tiểu sử + phê bình – chính là “outlining the approach”.
C. comparing different management theories
❌ Không hề so sánh các lý thuyết; chỉ nói Hoopes đã phê bình chúng.
D. summarising Hoopes' key ideas
❌ Đoạn chưa tóm tắt ý tưởng chính, chỉ mô tả hình thức trình bày.
Before the 19th century, the balance between incoming energy from the sun and outgoing radiation from the earth kept the planet's average temperature relatively stable. Only natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions and variations in solar output, caused periods of relative warming and cooling. Today, however, thanks to human-driven activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, industrial processes, deforestation and agriculture, global carbon dioxide levels are rising rapidly, which has led to an average global temperature increase of approximately 1°C since 1900.
This number may seem small, but the Arctic region has actually warmed by about 2°C in this time. This disparity in warming between the poles and the tropics is a phenomenon known as polar amplification. In just the last 30 years, areas of Arctic sea ice larger than Norway, Sweden, and Denmark combined have melted away. In the documentary Under Thin Ice, diver and underwater explorer Jill Heinerth travels to the Arctic regions of Greenland and Northern Canada to document what is happening above and below this rapidly disappearing ice. "The Arctic is changing faster than anywhere else on the planet," says Heinerth. "And it's really evident here."
There is a scientific explanation for why this is occurring. Fresh snow is the brightest natural surface on earth, as it reflects nearly 85% of solar radiation that hits it. Oceans, on the other hand, are the darkest natural surface on earth, and they only reflect about 10% of sunlight, absorbing the remaining 90%. In the winter, the Arctic Ocean is covered in ice, acting as an insulating blanket for the ocean below. In the springtime, this ice melts and exposes the dark ocean underneath, which leads to warming of the region, and this warming melts even more ice, resulting in a positive feedback loop. This process of polar amplification is stronger in the Arctic than it is in Antarctica, and this is because the Arctic is primarily an ocean covered in sea ice, while Antarctica is an elevated landmass that is covered in thicker layers of ice and snow. In fact, the average temperature of Antarctica has not changed in the last several decades, despite an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gasses in the autumn, large storms in the open ocean create more waves that cause the Arctic waters to mix with warmer waters, which increases the heat absorbed in the summer, making ice formation more difficult again in the autumn. These increased temperatures have also spread over the land. The Arctic land that was once covered in snow during the summer has shrunk in size significantly, and this darker land absorbs more heat than before, further warming the Arctic and the rest of the planet.
However, this melted water does not simply remain on the surface to freeze again in the fall. Instead, it sinks down into the ice sheet through large holes called moulins, which lubricates the ice sheet and causes glaciers to move more rapidly and release more icebergs into the ocean. The level of melting of the Greenland ice sheet is a major indicator of potential sea level rise; if it completely melts, global sea levels could rise by as much as 6 metres, endangering coastal cities and small island nations while making dangerous weather events, such as floods and hurricanes, even more deadly.
The most troubling effect of this feedback loop is the release of methane into the atmosphere. The Arctic stores an enormous amount of carbon, mostly in the soil, which is permanently stored in perennially frozen land called permafrost. Humans release around 9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year through industrial activities. It is estimated that an astounding 14,000 billion tonnes of carbon exist in permafrost soil alone, or the equivalent of 155 years worth of fossil fuel combustion. As this permafrost melts, plants and animals that were frozen under the ice begin to decay, and if there is no restriction on oxygen, this releases mostly carbon dioxide. However, if the soil is waterlogged, fermentation occurs and this discharges a gas called methane. Although it only lingers in the atmosphere for a fraction of the time, methane traps heat in the atmosphere around 23 times more efficiently than carbon dioxide.
As the situation nears its tipping point, a global campaign is underway to actually remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere manually, using techniques such as Direct Air Capture, a process of capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air surrounding us, as opposed to direct capture from point sources, such as factories, and sequestering this carbon directly or utilizing it for other purposes. This is what plants do naturally, but Direct Air Capture does it much more rapidly and requires less land space. In addition, it delivers the carbon dioxide in a pure, condensed form that can easily be stored in the ground or reused. The success of such efforts will likely spell the difference between a prosperous and sustainable future for mankind and a descent into bleak, climate-driven chaos.
Only natural processes
caused
warming and cooling periods
Main idea: Trước công nghiệp hóa (trước thế kỉ 19) → Chỉ các quá trình tự nhiên (núi lửa, thay đổi bức xạ mặt trời) gây biến đổi khí hậu
Trong bài đọc: Trước công nghiệp hóa, chỉ các quá trình tự nhiên (= natural processes) tác động đến khí hậu.
B. Rob Wood is the founder of Music Concierge in the UK, a company that chooses background music for businesses. Some clients hire Wood because they want to influence behaviour, others seek to create a certain atmosphere, culture or ambience. The core of a music consultant's work is creating distinct, cohesive musical identities for brands. In 2018, Wood worked on music for a new hotel. His brief was to produce distinct playlists for separate areas: the lobby, the restaurant and the gym. The hotel manager explained every detail: the build materials, the history, and a prediction of the average restaurant bill. Much of Wood's job involves taking abstract suggestions and turning them into music. A large amount of intuition is also required. It is a complex process and part of his job is comprehending what businesses really want, which can be very demanding. It is sometimes hard to know whether he should deliver something that will precisely match expectations or pleasantly surprise them.
C. In the 1920s, George Owen Squier, a former US army officer, developed a new way to transmit audio through wires. His idea led to the creation of Wired Music (renamed Muzak), which enabled businesses to play music throughout offices and commercial premises. In its early days, Muzak sold itself on the basis that its music would enhance job performance. Its programme for offices and factories played classical recordings in 15-minute sequences, alternated with silence. Each time the music sequence resumed, it rose in intensity. Muzak set the template for background music that would persist for decades. In terms of distribution, Muzak used wires to convey its music; the company sent a bulky cartridge to its customers through the post and it was then played through a specially designed device. In the 1970s, the introduction of affordable multi-deck tape players suddenly made it easy for businesses to choose and play music continuously. The CD was the first digital format for music and, by the late 1990s, it had enabled background music companies to develop digital libraries where tracks could be organised according to preference. But that was just a taste of the new world of infinite choice that was to come.
D. Despite technological advances, it's the influence that background music has on customer behaviour which is driving its growth. Psychologists believe that music influences consumers in two main ways. The first is physical; numerous studies have confirmed that we often subconsciously match what we are doing to what we hear. For instance, one study found that diners chewed faster when higher-tempo music was played. The second approach focuses on the associations that music can trigger. Another study revealed that diners in a cafeteria were willing to part with more money when classical music was played in the background than when there was none at all. One explanation, researchers suggested, was that diners associated classical music with quality.
E. However, it is the inoffensive nature of this kind of background music that creates some of the industry's fiercest critics. A UK group, Pipedown, founded by Nigel Rodgers, campaigns 'for freedom from unwanted music in public places'. The group claims that such music is impossible to escape and adds to the overall levels of noise pollution in public. 'You're not going for a special sort of atmosphere, you're just going to do your shopping,' Rodgers said. One of Pipedown's boldest claims is that there is 'no genuine evidence' that background music increases sales. Opinions vary on this question, although most professionals do not share Pipedown's position. Adrian North, a psychology professor at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, argues that small purchases are where it is most possible to influence consumers. He conducted a study that found that customers were more likely to choose either French or German wine, depending on which of the respective countries' music they heard, something he contrasted with a decision like buying a car where music would not have such an impact. Others argue that it makes more sense to think about the influence of background music in terms of subtle, long-term benefits, rather than immediate impact on sales. Rhonda Hadi, marketing professor at Oxford University, UK, believes companies that provide an experience, such as flights or accommodation, can reap the greatest rewards. She believes that people rely on any cues they can to gauge the quality of the service that they've received'.
F. Companies have capitalised on the sweeping changes to the world of retail in recent years. Many businesses are no longer just functional places to buy things, they are presented as an experience. Since 2008, streaming music via the internet has become the way most people listen to music. For background music companies, streaming is both a threat and an opportunity. On the one hand, companies can select and tailor the music they deliver to businesses with greater speed, flexibility and precision than ever before. On the other hand, access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist. However, Richard Hampson at Imagesound believes a real-life curator is indispensable.He emphasises the intuitive side to his job. 'It's always been about feel and human touch,' he argues. 'Human taste is really important.'
for the industry
“Since 2008, streaming music via the internet …”
“streaming is both a threat and an opportunity.”
“On the one hand, companies can select and tailor… with greater speed, flexibility and precision .”
“On the other hand, access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist .”
modern developments
streaming music via the internet
positive (consequences)
companies can select / tailor the music ... with greater speed, flexibility and precision ...
negative consequences
access to vast music libraries has made everyone a music specialist
James Hoopes is a historian who has written numerous books on business management. One of his best-known books is False Prophets, which covers the phenomenon of 'business management gurus' in the USA that started towards the end of the 19th century and has continued to the present. First and foremost, this book is a series of biographical sketches of the key business management thinkers, from Frederick Taylor (the 19th-century industrialist who created scientific management theory) to Peter Drucker (the academic accredited with founding modern management in the 1950s). However, the book also reads as a series of reviews or critiques of the various business management theories advanced by those gurus. This is where Hoopes' credibility wanes; he's prone to unsupported generalizations and seems to have his own agenda, ultimately promoting a theory of the proper role of management that is both ill-defined and also outside the scope of his biographical treatments.
Hoopes traces the division of management theory into two broad schools: top-down, which emphasizes the power of the manager and concentrates on convincing (or forcing) workers to do what they don't want to do, and bottom-up, in which managers believe that the workers are the ones with the control and the best a manager can do is persuade them. Frederick Taylor, who pioneered a top-down style in the 1870s, is heavily criticized for embodying all the worst qualities of the bullying boss in his quest to improve efficiency.
Many of the management thinkers in the early part of the 20th century were also looking at how to improve efficiency. The husband and wife team Frank and Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Gantt (who advocated bonus pay, rather than threats, as a motivational tool) either tried to soften Taylor's tactics or disdained them altogether, while trying to combine efficient processes with consideration for the workers. Then there's Mary Parker Follett, the influential political theorist and philosopher. Along with Lillian Gilbreth, Follett represented a pioneering female voice in American business. Maybe more than any other business management guru, she added new, substantive theories, which are still reflected in management practice today.
Looking across all the biographical sketches, we see that many of the gurus have a similar background, which allowed them to promote their management theories. So Taylor and Frank Gilbreth each had inventions that helped give them the success and notoriety that in turn allowed them to advocate what were separate management theories (often, not surprisingly, theories that they in tum used to promote adoption of their inventions, with all the associated personal gain that entailed). Taylor and Follett undoubtedly leveraged their upper-class upbringings to ingratiate themselves with business owners.
There is limited coverage of the more modem management theories. The history of W. Edwards Deming's public service for the U.S. government in the 1940s before he became A business guru is welcome, because many books about Deming omit or minimize that phase of his life. Hoopes sometimes gushes over Peter Drucker, who, along with Follett, is clearly one of his favorites of the gurus. What seems lacking in the biographical sketches, though, are detailed treatments of the most recent theories put forward by significant gurus such as Tom Peters and Jim Collins.
Hoopes, refreshingly, does not try to hide his opinions about these people and pretend to be neutral: his biases are evident from the start. Hoopes labels Taylor "the demon," but he does not automatically give support to more humane management thinkers, either. Thus Elton Mayo, whose psychological approach to management inspired much of the bottom-up theories in the mid-20th century, is even more heavily criticized than Taylor. The Mayo chapter is one of the best, in part because Mayo's disciples gathered so much data that Hoopes can pick it apart and demonstrate with specificity how Mayo proffered theories that contradicted his own research findings.
Hoopes' biographical approach-each guru gets his or her own chapter-has its pros and cons. On the one hand, the biographical details sometimes get in the way of the analysis: it remains an open question whether Hoopes dislikes Taylor and favors Mary Parker Follett for their different approaches to management theory, or because Taylor was a bully and Follett a nice person. But Hoopes' prose is clear and remarkably free of academic pretensions; he presents complicated ideas simply, but without condescension.
So, let us tum to the more problematic part of Hoopes' book: the critiques of the management gurus' theories. It might help to break down the key theses that Hoopes advances, to better pinpoint where he goes wrong. Bottom-up management, he argues, is even worse than top-down; rather than limiting the potential abuses of managerial power, it cloaks such abuses in a false morality. He also argues that Americans believe in sociopolitical democracy but that most workplaces lack such democracy. He claims that top-down workplace hierarchies produce better results than democratic organization structures and concludes that people need to accept that top-down management power is necessary to some degree, though its importance is overstated by the management gurus.
Basically, this book sets out these theories, but it never gets around to proving (or disproving) most of them. It would be possible to make evidence-based analyses of each of these points but Hoopes does not even attempt to do so. Instead, he merely draws his own personal conclusions based on the anecdotes and observations contained in his biographical sketches.
