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About the A New Ice Age Reading Passage
"A New Ice Age" is a scientific passage that explores how periodic changes in Earth's orbital path, axial tilt, and wobble drive the onset of ice ages. The text draws on the Milankovitch theory, named after Serbian mathematician Milutin Milankovitch, and traces how these astronomical cycles alter the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth's surface. The Cambridge source for this passage is a practice test passage (source: Practice passage).
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.
This passage contains two question types: True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–7) and Sentence Completion (Questions 8–13).
A New Ice Age : Full Reading Passage
Paragraph A
Ice ages have occurred many times throughout Earth's history. They have shaped the continents, driven species to extinction, and forced human populations to migrate. Scientists have long sought to understand what triggers these dramatic shifts in global climate. The evidence now suggests that changes in Earth's orbit around the Sun are the primary cause.
Paragraph B
During an ice age, vast sheets of ice spread across the continents. These ice sheets can be several kilometres thick and cover enormous areas of land. As they advance, they scrape away soil and rock, carrying debris great distances before depositing it. The weight of the ice is so great that it actually depresses the continental crust beneath it.
Paragraph C
In the early twentieth century, Serbian mathematician Milutin Milankovitch proposed a bold theory. He argued that ice ages are caused by regular, predictable variations in Earth's orbit around the Sun. There are three key variations. The first is the shape of Earth's orbit, which shifts between a more circular and a more elliptical path over a cycle of roughly 100,000 years. The second variation involves the tilt of Earth's axis, which changes between about 22 and 24.5 degrees over a cycle of 41,000 years. When the axial tilt is greater, seasonal differences are more pronounced.
Paragraph D
The third variation described by Milankovitch is a slow wobble in the direction of Earth's axial tilt, known as the precession of the equinoxes. This wobble follows a cycle of approximately 26,000 years. The combined effect of these three orbital changes alters the amount of solar energy that different parts of Earth receive at different times of year. Milankovitch calculated that these variations could produce sufficient change in solar radiation to trigger an ice age.
Paragraph E
The key factor is not the total amount of sunlight Earth receives each year, but the amount of sunlight that reaches the high northern latitudes in summer. If summers in the far north are cool enough, snow and ice that accumulated during winter will not melt completely. Each year, a little more ice builds up. Ice is highly reflective, so it bounces solar energy back into space rather than absorbing it. This creates a self-reinforcing effect.
Paragraph F
For most of the twentieth century, the Milankovitch theory remained controversial. Critics argued that the orbital changes were too small to cause such dramatic climate shifts. They also pointed out gaps between the predicted timing of ice ages and the geological record. However, by the 1970s, deep-sea drilling projects had produced detailed records of past climate changes preserved in ocean sediments.
Paragraph G
These ocean sediment records showed strong agreement with the timing predicted by Milankovitch's calculations. The evidence confirmed that ice ages are triggered by orbital cycles. Scientists now understand that orbital changes alone do not produce the full scale of an ice age. They act as a trigger, and the climate amplifies the effect through a series of feedback mechanisms, including the reflection of sunlight by ice, the release and absorption of greenhouse gases, and shifts in ocean circulation.
A New Ice Age Reading Questions and Answers
Questions 1–7: True/False/Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? Write: 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.Ice ages have occurred many times during Earth's history.
2. Ice sheets during an ice age can be up to one kilometre thick.
3. Milankovitch was the first scientist ever to study the relationship between Earth's orbit and climate.
4. Milankovitch identified three variations in Earth's orbital cycle.
5. The wobble described in the Milankovitch theory follows a cycle of 41,000 years.
6. The amount of sunlight reaching the high northern latitudes in summer is a critical factor in ice age formation.
7. The deep-sea drilling projects of the 1970s were funded by the US government.
Questions 8–13: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
8. During an ice age, vast ………………… spread across the continents.
9. Milankovitch argued that the shape of Earth's ………………… changes between circular and elliptical over roughly 100,000 years.
10. When ………………… is greater, the difference between seasons becomes more pronounced.
11. The slow ………………… in the direction of Earth's axial tilt is known as the precession of the equinoxes.
12. The critical factor is the amount of ………………… that reaches the high northern latitudes during summer.
13. Orbital changes act as a trigger, and the climate amplifies the effect through ………………… mechanisms.
