The development of television and its introduction in Britain: Đề thi thật IELTS READING (IELTS Reading Recent Actual Test)

READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

The development of television and its introduction in Britain   

A The possibility of seeing events without being present at them was a dream of humanity for countless centuries. When the telephone emerged as a practical device in the late 1870s, the idea of also 'seeing by electricity' caught the public imagination, and as early as 1878 a cartoonist conceived of the 'telephonoscope', a vividly accurate prediction of global video communication. Various experiments were conducted, and two forms of television were invented almost simultaneously: the electronic and the mechanical.

B In 1897 a German physicist, Ferdinand Braun, developed a method of displaying electronic traces on a fluorescent screen coated inside an evacuated glass bulb. He called this the cathode-ray oscillograph. A few years later a British scientist, A A Campbell Swinton, realised that Braun's device could be used to display pictures transmitted electronically. Campbell Swinton wrote about the possibility of a television system in a scientific journal, Nature, in 1911. However, at that time it could not be built, as the components were not available.>> 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

C The real originator of electronic television was Vladimir Zworykin. His interest in the field developed when he worked on a cathode-ray tube receiver in St Petersburg. In 1918 he left Russia for the United States, and in 1923 he patented the principles of the Iconoscope, a camera tube, and in 1924 the Kinescope, or television receiver. The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) recognised the potential of Zworykin's ideas, and in 1929 funded a laboratory for him to continue his research. The work was conducted in secret and Zworykin did not publish his paper describing the Iconoscope in detail until 1933. This was the breakthrough that made electronic television a practical possibility. For the first time, a pick-up

D Meanwhile, in Britain, public interest in television was stimulated by a Scotsman, John L. Baird. He loved experimenting and, in 1922, found the cause to which he was to devote his life—to invent mechanical television. As he lacked a real understanding of electronics, and would probably have been unaware of Zworykin’s work, he began his research using very simple mechanical equipment. Baird successfully transmitted his first crude images in April 1925, and gave the first public demonstration of television in 1926. But it was not until 1929 that the government accepted that the technical quality of his pictures had improved sufficiently to allow broadcasting. Transmissions began on frequencies available when normal radio programmes had finished for the day. Baird used the late transmission time to his advantage—it became an opportunity to encourage performers from top London shows to the medium. They dropped into his nearby studio after finishing on stage, and performed a song or a dance for one of his shows. He developed a large amount of material, and in 1931 he televised the Epsom Derby horse race live.

E However, at the beginning of the 1930s, interest in television in Britain was spreading beyond Baird. The research departments of Britain’s two largest record companies came together and formed Electric and Musical Industries Ltd. (EMI) in 1931. The new department of brilliant scientists was led by Isaac Shoenberg, who, like Zworykin, had once worked in Russia. The group first looked to develop cathode-ray receivers, retaining mechanical scanning for generating the picture. However, work on an electronic camera tube started in 1933, after Zworykin’s paper was published.

F The EMI team made a successful electronic tube in January 1934 and they called the design the Emitron. This was fundamentally the same as Zworykin’s Iconoscope, though there were manufacturing differences that gave it a superior performance. EMI did not immediately give up mechanical scanning, but they now joined forces with the Marconi Company to design the components and circuits of an all-electronic system of television. Very soon the technical superiority of the Marconi-EMI system was so obvious that, on 30 January 1937, the BBC ended transmissions using Baird’s television equipment.

G In 1936 television receiving sets were very expensive, possibly costing as much as a small car. Fewer than 500 sets were in use when the broadcasting service started, and growth was slower than had been hoped for. The signals could only be received clearly within a radius of about 30 miles from the television studio. Gradually the cost of sets came down, and just under 19,000 had been sold by 1939, when television in Britain abruptly came to an end for security reasons. War was about to be declared. The screens were to be dark for nearly seven years until, in 1946, the British government decided to restart television.

H Transmissions restarted with a broadcast of the Victory Parade in London. Television remained confined to the London region until 1949 when studios in Birmingham opened. From then on coverage gradually spread across Britain. Many people had their first experience of television watching Queen Elizabeth's 1953 coronation ceremony. Households with television receivers opened up their homes to friends and neighbours. As the better-off purchased their new sets, so their old ones were sold on, which enlarged the audience still further. With quality entertainment now cheaply available at home, people went out far less often. Many cinemas and theatres closed down, and town centres became much emptier at night. The television age had finally arrived.

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has eight sections, A-H.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet.

14 the reason for a delay between the initial idea for an electronic television and its production

15 an explanation of how professional entertainers agreed to appear on television

16 some examples of the social effects of television broadcasts

17 reference to the confidential nature of certain research

18 the reason for the termination of mechanical television broadcasting

19 the reason for a long period of inactivity in British television broadcasting

Questions 20-23

Look at the following researchers (Questions 20-23) and the list of activities below. Match each researcher with the correct activity, A-E.

20 A.A Campbell Swinton

21 Vladimir Zworykin>> IELTS TUTOR hướng dẫn PHÂN TÍCH ĐỀ THI 30/5/2020 IELTS WRITING TASK 2 (kèm bài sửa HS đạt 6.5)

22 John L. Baird

23 Isaac Shoenberg

List of Activities

A was involved in both the technical aspects and the content of television

B published an academic paper suggesting an application for a fellow scientist’s invention

C was influenced by research into public expectations of television

D headed a team with experience of sound technology

E was given financial support to carry out scientific investigations

Questions 24-26

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

24 In the first few years of broadcasting, the price of a television could be similar to that of _____.

25 At first, good television reception could not be obtained further than approximately _____ from the studio.

26 _____ was the second city in Britain to establish television studios.

Questions 14-19: Matching Sections (A-H) to Information

1. The reason for a delay between the initial idea for an electronic television and its production → B

• Explanation: In paragraph B, it is mentioned that A.A Campbell Swinton realized the possibility of transmitting pictures electronically and wrote about it in 1911. However, there was a delay in production because the necessary components were not available at that time.

1. An explanation of how professional entertainers agreed to appear on television → D

• Explanation: In paragraph D, it discusses how John L. Baird encouraged performers from top London shows to participate in television broadcasts by performing songs and dances after finishing their stage performances, taking advantage of late transmission times.

1. Some examples of the social effects of television broadcasts → H

• Explanation: In paragraph H, it is described how the spread of television reduced the frequency of people going out, as entertainment became available at home, leading to the closure of cinemas and theaters.

1. Reference to the confidential nature of certain research → C

• Explanation: Paragraph C talks about how Vladimir Zworykin's work was conducted in secret, being kept confidential until his breakthrough with the Iconoscope was publicly announced in 1933.>> IELTS TUTOR có hướng dẫn kĩ PHÂN TÍCH ĐỀ THI THẬT TASK 1 (Complaint letter) NGÀY 04/8/2020 IELTS WRITING GENERAL MÁY TÍNH (kèm bài được sửa hs đi thi)

1. The reason for the termination of mechanical television broadcasting → F

• Explanation: In paragraph F, it mentions that mechanical television broadcasting was stopped when the BBC decided to end transmissions using Baird's mechanical television equipment, due to the superior performance of the new all-electronic Marconi-EMI system.

19. The reason for a long period of inactivity in British television broadcasts → G

• Explanation: Paragraph G explains how British television broadcasting stopped during World War II (1939-1946) for security reasons, leading to a long period of inactivity until the service was resumed in 1946.

Questions 20-23: Matching Researchers with Activities

20. A.A Campbell Swinton → B

• Explanation: Paragraph B mentions that Campbell Swinton wrote about the possibility of a television system in a scientific journal in 1911. This matches with activity B: published an academic paper suggesting an application for a fellow scientist's invention.

21. Vladimir Zworykin → E

• Explanation: Paragraph C explains that Zworykin was given financial support to continue his research by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), which matches activity E: was given financial support to carry out scientific investigations.

22. John L. Baird → C

• Explanation: Paragraph D describes how Baird's work was influenced by public interest in television, and he was keen on mechanical television development, which fits activity C: was influenced by research into public expectations of television.

23. Isaac Shoenberg → D

• Explanation: Paragraph E explains how Shoenberg headed a team at EMI (Electric and Musical Industries Ltd.), which developed an electronic system for television. This corresponds to activity D: headed a team with experience of sound technology.

Questions 24-26: Sentence Completion

1. In the first few years of broadcasting, the price of a television could be similar to that of a → small car

• Explanation: Paragraph G mentions that in 1936, television receiving sets were "very expensive, "possibly costing as much as a small car." Therefore, the answer is small car.

1. At first, good television reception could not be obtained further than approximately → 30 miles

• Explanation: Paragraph G mentions that signals "could only be received clearly within a radius of about 30 miles from the television studio." Hence, the answer is 30 miles.

1. → Birmingham

• Explanation: Paragraph H mentions that "television remained confined to the London region until 1949 when studios in Birmingham opened." Therefore, Birmingham is the correct answer as the second city in Britain to establish television studios.