1. A
Chek Lap Kok covers 1,248 hectares, which is more than 1,000. Kansai is described as covering 520 hectares.
Airports on Water Reading Answers and Explanations
Review all 13 Airports on Water answers, with paragraph references explaining the construction of Chek Lap Kok and Kansai airports.
Cambridge IELTS 2 · Academic Reading Test 1 · Passage 1
Answer table
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | A |
| 2 | A |
| 3 | B |
| 4 | C |
| 5 | B |
| 6 | runways and taxiways |
| 7 | terminal building site |
| 8 | sand |
| 9 | stiff clay |
| 10 | Lantau Island / sea walls |
| 11 | sea walls / Lantau Island |
| 12 | rainfall |
| 13 | geotextile |
Answer explanations
Paragraph numbers below refer to Passage 1 in the linked practice test.
2. A
Chek Lap Kok is being built in the Pearl River delta. The passage places Kansai in Osaka Bay instead.
3. B
Kansai was moved farther offshore after fishermen objected to the first site, putting it in deeper open water.
4. C
Both airports stand on reclaimed land. The difference is how the builders dealt with the soft material underneath.
5. B
The usual reclamation method leaves settlement to be managed. Kansai strengthened the seabed and used adjustable supports, while Chek Lap Kok removed its soft mud.
6. runways and taxiways
Most of the rock provides the foundations for the runways and taxiways. Label 6 spans that part of the construction.
7. terminal building site
The terminal buildings are mainly above the original island. Label 7 points to this building site.
8. sand
Sand is piled over the stiff clay and used as a capping layer over the granite. Label 8 identifies the upper layer.
9. stiff clay
Dredgers remove the soft mud and expose stiff clay. Label 9 identifies that lower supporting layer.
10. Lantau Island / sea walls
The neighbouring island deflects much of a typhoon, while sea walls guard against the rest. These two answers are accepted in either order for Questions 10 and 11.
11. sea walls / Lantau Island
Use whichever of the two storm protections you did not put in Question 10. Repeating the same answer does not earn a second mark.
12. rainfall
Summer monsoon downpours can wash sand into spaces between rocks and cause further settlement. The matching word from the answer box is rainfall.
13. geotextile
Geotextile separates the rock and sand layers, keeping sand particles from washing into the rock voids.