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🔥Steam across the water Answers with location - Đề luyện tập IELTS READING- Làm bài online format computer-based, kèm đáp án, dịch & giải thích từ vựng - cấu trúc ngữ pháp khó

March 25, 2026

IELTS TUTOR cung cấp Steam across the water Đề luyện tập IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Practice Test) - Làm bài online format computer-based, kèm đáp án, dịch & giải thích từ vựng - cấu trúc ngữ pháp khó & GIẢI ĐÁP ÁN VỚI LOCATION

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III. Steam across the water: Đề luyện tập IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Practice Test)

PASSAGE 1

Read the text and answer questions 1–13

Steam across the water

A look at the early history of boats powered by steam

During the 1600s, very early in the development of steam engines, inventive spirits like the Frenchman Denis Papin dreamed of – and experimented with – boats driven by steam, rather than by the wind or human effort, but many decades passed before those visions became reality.

Englishman Jonathan Hulls took out patents on a steamboat in 1736, but it was to be driven by a Newcomen engine, which was heavy and therefore inefficient, and would never be a success. In 1763, William Henry, an American, put a Watt steam engine in a boat, but it sank. Nearly 20 years later, in the 1780s, a steam-powered paddle-wheeled steamboat managed to run for fifteen minutes against the current on the River Saone in France, but lacked the endurance for longer trips. Developments elsewhere included a boat driven by a steam-powered water-jet and able to do six kilometres per hour. However, all these steamboats were either too slow or too expensive to run. For example, American John Fitch successfully trialled his first steamboat in 1787, but although he tried a number of designs and solved many technical challenges – one of his boats could even travel at 13 km/h – he could never convince sceptics that steamboats would pay.

The 19th century came before real success could be claimed. In Scotland in 1802, Lord Dundas launched the steamboat Charlotte Dundas, which was driven by a paddle wheel and had an improved engine designed by William Symington. Barges, some weighing as much as 70 tonnes, were towed by this steamboat 30 kilometres along the Forth and Clyde Canal to Glasgow, Scotland's second city. Soon after, success came to American Robert Fulton, whose countrymen called him 'the father of the steamboat'. Inspired by news of the Charlotte Dundas, Fulton ran steamboat trials on the River Seine, in an attempt to attract French support for his submarine Nautilus. He later imported a Boulton-Watt steam engine and built a boat to use it in. In 1807, the Clermont began a scheduled passenger steamboat service between New York and Albany, 250 kilometres up the Hudson River, taking 30 hours for the trip. Within a few years, steamers were running on the St Lawrence River in Canada and would soon appear on other rivers and lakes, including the Mississippi River, a most famous venue for the paddle-wheelers. >> 🔥 Form đăng kí giải đề thi thật IELTS 4 kĩ năng kèm bài giải bộ đề 100 đề PART 2 IELTS SPEAKING quý đang thi (update hàng tuần) từ IELTS TUTOR

Back in Scotland, Fulton's ideas inspired Henry Bell, who launched his Comet in 1812 on the Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock. Inside a decade, dozens of steamboats were to be seen on the rivers, lochs and canals of Scotland, carrying cargo and occasionally passengers. The age of steamboats had come.

The success of these early steamboats spurred further innovation. Engineers began experimenting with different hull designs to reduce drag and increase speed. Paddle wheels, while effective in calm waters, proved problematic in rough seas, leading to the development of the screw propeller. Swedish-born engineer John Ericsson, who later designed the USS Monitor for the American Civil War, was a pioneer in this area. In 1839, he installed a screw propeller on the steamship Robert F. Stockton, demonstrating its superiority over paddle wheels for ocean travel. The screw propeller was more efficient, less vulnerable to damage, and allowed for better placement of engines and cargo.

As steamboat technology improved, so did the range and ambition of voyages. In 1819, the American ship Savannah became the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, although it used its engines for only a small portion of the journey, relying on sails for most of the crossing. By 1838, the British steamships Sirius and Great Western made the first complete transatlantic crossings under continuous steam power, ushering in a new era of ocean travel. The Great Western, designed by the great engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was built specifically for the Atlantic route and could carry 148 passengers in relative comfort.

The economic impact of steamboats was profound. They transformed trade by making river transport faster, cheaper, and more reliable. Goods that had once taken weeks to travel upstream against a current could now make the journey in days. In the United States, the Mississippi River system became a highway of commerce, with steamboats carrying cotton, timber, grain, and passengers between the growing cities of the interior and the port of New Orleans. By the 1850s, hundreds of steamboats were working the Mississippi and its tributaries, creating a vibrant and often dangerous industry. Boiler explosions and fires were common, and the competition between rival captains led to reckless racing that claimed many lives. >> 🔥 Nhắn zalo 0905834420 join group zalo Hóng đề thi máy 4 skills để cập nhật đề thi thật 4 kĩ năng hằng ngày [Kèm giải & đề làm online]

In Europe, steamboats opened up new possibilities for travel and tourism. The Rhine, the Danube, and the Thames became busy thoroughfares for steam-powered vessels carrying passengers eager to see the sights. Pleasure steamers took Londoners on day trips to the seaside, while in Scotland, steamboats carried tourists to the Highlands and the islands. The steam age also brought social change. For the first time, working-class people could afford to travel for leisure, and the strict class divisions of earlier centuries began to blur as people from different backgrounds mingled on decks and in dining saloons.

The steamboat's dominance was not to last forever. By the late 19th century, railroads offered faster overland travel, and diesel engines began to replace steam. Yet the steamboat had played a crucial role in shaping the modern world. It had opened up continents, accelerated trade, and brought people together in ways previously unimaginable. From the visionary dreams of Denis Papin in the 1600s to the bustling rivers and oceans of the 1800s, the story of the steamboat is a testament to human ingenuity and the relentless pursuit of progress.

Questions 1–5

Complete the table below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet.

Date	Event
1600s	Early inventors like Papin started to develop boats that relied on steam instead of manpower or wind.
1730s	The engine of Jonathan Hulls' steamboat was 1 __________ due to its weight.
1780s	A French paddle steamer did not have the 2 __________ to keep going for more than a quarter of an hour.
	John Fitch overcame a number of 3 __________ with his steamboat designs.
Early 1800s	The Charlotte Dundas pulled 4 __________ to Glasgow.
	In France, Fulton used a steamboat to try to raise interest in a 5 __________.
	Passengers in the US began to be carried regularly by a steamboat called the Clermont.
1812	In Scotland, steamboats transported some passengers, but mostly cargo.

Questions 6–10

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 6–10 on your answer sheet, 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

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John Fitch's steamboat could travel at 13 kilometres per hour.
Robert Fulton was inspired to work on steamboats after visiting Scotland.
The Clermont took two days to travel from New York to Albany.
John Ericsson designed the USS Monitor after inventing the screw propeller.
The Savannah relied entirely on steam power for its transatlantic crossing.

Questions 11–13

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
Write your answers in boxes 11–13 on your answer sheet.

What advantage did the screw propeller have over paddle wheels?
A. It was cheaper to manufacture.
B. It was more efficient and less vulnerable to damage.
C. It required less powerful engines.
D. It was easier to repair at sea.
According to the passage, what was a common danger on Mississippi River steamboats?
A. Attacks by pirates
B. Collisions with icebergs
C. Boiler explosions and fires
D. Grounding on sandbars
What social change did steamboats help bring about?
A. The end of class distinctions in society
B. The opportunity for working-class people to travel for leisure
C. The migration of rural populations to cities
D. The decline of the railroad industry