Mở Bài
Biến đổi khí hậu không chỉ là vấn đề môi trường mà còn tác động sâu rộng đến nền kinh tế toàn cầu. Chủ đề “Effects Of Climate Change On Global Economic Stability” xuất hiện thường xuyên trong các bài thi IELTS Reading, đặc biệt ở Passage 2 và 3 với độ khó trung bình đến cao. Đây là một chủ đề liên ngành, kết hợp giữa khoa học tự nhiên, kinh tế học và chính sách công.
Trong bài viết này, bạn sẽ được thực hành với một bộ đề thi IELTS Reading hoàn chỉnh gồm 3 passages được thiết kế theo đúng chuẩn Cambridge IELTS, với độ khó tăng dần từ Band 5.0 đến 9.0. Bạn sẽ học được cách xử lý các dạng câu hỏi đa dạng, nắm vững từ vựng chuyên ngành về kinh tế và khí hậu, đồng thời rèn luyện kỹ năng quản lý thời gian hiệu quả.
Đề thi này phù hợp cho học viên từ band 5.0 trở lên, đặc biệt hữu ích cho những ai đang nhắm đến band 7.0-8.0 trong phần Reading. Mỗi passage đi kèm với đáp án chi tiết và giải thích cặn kẽ, giúp bạn hiểu rõ phương pháp làm bài đúng đắn.
Hướng Dẫn Làm Bài IELTS Reading
Tổng Quan Về IELTS Reading Test
IELTS Reading Test kéo dài 60 phút cho 3 passages với tổng cộng 40 câu hỏi. Mỗi câu trả lời đúng được tính là 1 điểm, không có điểm âm cho câu trả lời sai. Điểm số thô (raw score) sau đó được chuyển đổi thành band score từ 1-9.
Phân bổ thời gian khuyến nghị:
- Passage 1: 15-17 phút (độ khó dễ nhất)
- Passage 2: 18-20 phút (độ khó trung bình)
- Passage 3: 23-25 phút (độ khó cao nhất)
Lưu ý dành 2-3 phút cuối để chép đáp án vào Answer Sheet nếu làm bài trên giấy nháp.
Các Dạng Câu Hỏi Trong Đề Này
Đề thi mẫu này bao gồm 7 dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading:
- Multiple Choice – Chọn đáp án đúng từ các phương án cho sẵn
- True/False/Not Given – Xác định thông tin đúng, sai hay không được đề cập
- Matching Information – Ghép thông tin với đoạn văn tương ứng
- Sentence Completion – Hoàn thành câu với từ trong bài
- Matching Headings – Ghép tiêu đề phù hợp cho từng đoạn
- Summary Completion – Điền từ vào đoạn tóm tắt
- Short-answer Questions – Trả lời ngắn các câu hỏi cụ thể
IELTS Reading Practice Test
PASSAGE 1 – The Economic Footprint of Rising Temperatures
Độ khó: Easy (Band 5.0-6.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 15-17 phút
Climate change is increasingly recognized as one of the most significant threats to global economic stability in the 21st century. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing precipitation patterns are not just environmental concerns; they have profound economic implications that affect countries across all income levels. Understanding these impacts is crucial for governments, businesses, and individuals as they plan for a sustainable future.
The most direct economic impact of climate change comes from damage to physical infrastructure and property. Coastal cities, home to billions of people and trillions of dollars in assets, face growing risks from sea-level rise and storm surges. In the United States alone, coastal property worth over $1 trillion is at risk from rising seas by 2050. Hurricane damage has increased dramatically in recent decades, with storms like Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012 causing combined losses exceeding $200 billion. Insurance companies have begun raising premiums or withdrawing coverage from high-risk areas entirely, creating additional economic stress for residents and businesses.
Agriculture, which employs over one-third of the global workforce, is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. Changing weather patterns affect crop yields, with some regions experiencing increased drought while others face excessive rainfall and flooding. A study by Stanford University found that global warming has already reduced global agricultural productivity by approximately 21% since 1961 – equivalent to losing the last seven years of productivity growth. This reduction translates into higher food prices, which disproportionately affect poor households that spend a larger share of their income on food. In developing countries, where agriculture represents a larger portion of GDP, these impacts can destabilize entire economies.
The health impacts of climate change also carry substantial economic costs. Heat waves lead to increased mortality and reduced worker productivity, particularly for outdoor labourers. Rising temperatures expand the range of disease-carrying insects like mosquitoes, bringing diseases such as malaria and dengue fever to previously unaffected regions. Air pollution, exacerbated by higher temperatures, contributes to respiratory illnesses and premature deaths. The World Health Organization estimates that climate change will cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, with direct health costs reaching $2-4 billion annually by 2030.
Energy systems face a paradoxical challenge from climate change. While warmer temperatures reduce heating demands in winter, they significantly increase cooling demands in summer, leading to higher overall energy consumption. More frequent and intense heat waves can strain electrical grids, causing blackouts that disrupt economic activity. Extreme weather events damage power infrastructure, leading to costly repairs and lost productivity during outages. At the same time, changing water availability affects hydroelectric power generation, while higher water temperatures reduce the efficiency of thermal power plants that rely on water for cooling.
Tourism, a major economic driver for many countries, experiences mixed effects from climate change. Some destinations become less attractive as temperatures rise – ski resorts suffer from shorter snow seasons, while beach destinations may become uncomfortably hot. Coral bleaching, driven by warming ocean temperatures, threatens reef ecosystems that attract diving tourism. Conversely, some previously cold regions may benefit from longer tourist seasons and more pleasant weather. However, the overall global economic impact on tourism is expected to be negative, with particularly severe consequences for island nations and countries heavily dependent on winter sports.
The financial sector increasingly recognizes climate change as a systemic risk. Central banks and financial regulators worldwide are requiring institutions to assess their exposure to climate-related risks. Companies in carbon-intensive industries face potential stranded assets as the world transitions to cleaner energy sources. Investors are increasingly considering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors in their decisions, with trillions of dollars now invested in climate-conscious portfolios. This shift reflects growing awareness that climate change poses both physical risks (from direct climate impacts) and transition risks (from policy changes and technological shifts in response to climate change).
Labour productivity across many sectors declines as temperatures rise. Studies show that worker productivity falls significantly when temperatures exceed comfortable ranges, with outdoor workers particularly affected. This impact is most severe in tropical and subtropical regions, which are often developing countries already facing economic challenges. Some estimates suggest that by 2100, reduced labour productivity alone could cost the global economy trillions of dollars annually, widening the economic gap between wealthy and poor nations.
Questions 1-13
Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Passage 1?
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
- Climate change only affects environmental systems, not economic ones.
- Coastal property valued at over $1 trillion in the US could be at risk by the middle of this century.
- Insurance companies in some areas are increasing prices or stopping coverage due to climate risks.
- All regions of the world experience the same type of agricultural impacts from climate change.
- The World Health Organization predicts thousands of climate-related deaths annually by 2030.
Questions 6-9
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- According to Stanford University research, global warming has decreased agricultural productivity by approximately __ since 1961.
- Higher temperatures expand the geographic range of insects that carry __.
- Extreme weather can damage electrical infrastructure, resulting in __ that harm business operations.
- Many financial institutions now consider __ when making investment decisions.
Questions 10-13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- What is the main point made about agriculture in the passage?
- A) It is not affected by climate change
- B) It employs most workers globally and faces climate vulnerability
- C) It has become more productive due to warming
- D) It only matters in developed countries
- According to the passage, energy systems face what kind of challenge from climate change?
- A) Only increased demand for heating
- B) Only increased demand for cooling
- C) A contradictory situation with changing demands
- D) No significant challenges
- How does climate change affect tourism according to the passage?
- A) Entirely positive effects
- B) Entirely negative effects
- C) Different effects in different locations
- D) No effects at all
- What does the passage say about labour productivity?
- A) It increases with temperature
- B) It decreases when temperatures rise too high
- C) It is unaffected by climate
- D) It only matters for indoor workers
PASSAGE 2 – Financial Markets and Climate Risk Assessment
Độ khó: Medium (Band 6.0-7.5)
Thời gian đề xuất: 18-20 phút
The integration of climate risk into financial decision-making represents a fundamental shift in how markets operate. Historically, environmental considerations were viewed as externalities – costs borne by society rather than reflected in market prices. However, the mounting evidence of climate change’s economic impacts has prompted a re-evaluation of this approach. Financial institutions, from investment banks to pension funds, are now grappling with how to quantify, price, and manage climate-related financial risks. This transformation has profound implications for capital allocation, asset valuation, and ultimately, the trajectory of the global economy.
A
The concept of climate-related financial risk encompasses two primary categories: physical risks and transition risks. Physical risks arise from the direct impacts of climate change – increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events, rising sea levels, changing temperature and precipitation patterns, and associated effects on ecosystems and human systems. These risks can damage assets, disrupt supply chains, and reduce productivity. For example, a coastal manufacturing facility faces physical risks from storm surges, while an agricultural investment faces risks from changing rainfall patterns. The challenge for financial institutions lies in translating scientific climate projections into probabilistic assessments of future losses across diverse asset classes and geographic regions.
B
Transition risks, by contrast, stem from society’s response to climate change rather than from climate impacts themselves. As governments implement policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – through carbon pricing, emissions regulations, or renewable energy mandates – certain assets may lose value. A coal-fired power plant, for instance, might become economically unviable before the end of its technical lifespan if carbon prices rise sufficiently. Similarly, technological advances in clean energy could render existing fossil fuel infrastructure obsolete. Market sentiment and consumer preferences also contribute to transition risks; companies perceived as climate laggards may face reputational damage, reduced sales, and difficulty attracting investment. The timeline and magnitude of these transition risks remain uncertain, depending on the pace and nature of climate policy and technological change.
C
Central banks and financial regulators have emerged as key actors in addressing climate-related financial risks. The Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a group of over 100 central banks and supervisors, has developed scenarios and frameworks for assessing climate risks in the financial system. Many jurisdictions now require financial institutions to conduct climate stress tests – exercises that evaluate how portfolios would perform under various climate scenarios. These stress tests reveal concentrations of climate risk within the financial system and help identify institutions that may face solvency or liquidity challenges as climate impacts intensify. Regulators are also developing disclosure requirements, mandating that companies report their greenhouse gas emissions and their exposure to climate risks, thereby enhancing market transparency.
D
The insurance industry provides a particularly illuminating case study of climate risk management in practice. Insurers are on the front lines of climate change, directly exposed to increasing losses from extreme weather events. Actuarial models, which historically relied on past data to predict future risks, must now incorporate forward-looking climate projections. In some high-risk areas, insurers have raised premiums substantially or withdrawn from markets entirely, creating an availability crisis for property owners. This retreat has, in turn, prompted government intervention through public insurance programs and risk-pooling mechanisms. The insurance industry’s experience illustrates a broader challenge: as climate risks intensify, some assets and locations may become effectively uninsurable or uninvestable, raising questions about who bears these risks and how society manages climate-induced displacement and economic disruption.
E
Portfolio managers and institutional investors increasingly incorporate climate considerations into their investment strategies. Some adopt negative screening, excluding companies with high carbon emissions or involvement in fossil fuels. Others pursue positive screening or impact investing, actively seeking companies that contribute to climate solutions such as renewable energy or energy efficiency. More sophisticated approaches include portfolio decarbonization – reducing the carbon intensity of investments while maintaining financial returns – and engagement strategies that use shareholder influence to push companies toward better climate practices. The growth of sustainable investing has been remarkable: global sustainable investment assets reached $35 trillion in 2020, up 15% from 2018, representing over one-third of total professionally managed assets.
F
Despite this progress, significant challenges remain in climate risk assessment and management. Data quality and availability present ongoing obstacles; many companies do not yet report comprehensive climate-related information, making it difficult for investors to assess risks accurately. Standardization of metrics and methodologies remains elusive, with competing frameworks creating confusion. The long time horizons relevant to climate change – spanning decades – sit uncomfortably with the shorter-term focus of many financial markets. Moreover, climate risks are characterized by deep uncertainty, non-linear dynamics, and potential tipping points that are difficult to model using conventional financial tools. The possibility of cascading failures across interconnected financial systems adds another layer of complexity.
G
The allocation of capital toward climate solutions represents the flip side of climate risk management. Financing the transition to a low-carbon economy requires unprecedented investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, and climate adaptation infrastructure. The International Energy Agency estimates that achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 would require annual clean energy investment to more than triple by 2030, reaching $4 trillion. Green bonds – debt instruments whose proceeds fund environmental projects – have experienced explosive growth, with issuance reaching $270 billion in 2020. However, this still represents a small fraction of total bond markets, and questions persist about whether green finance is truly additional – funding projects that would not otherwise occur – or simply relabeling conventional investments.
Looking forward, the integration of climate considerations into financial markets will likely deepen and become more sophisticated. Advances in climate modeling, satellite technology, and artificial intelligence promise to improve risk assessment capabilities. Regulatory pressure for climate-related disclosure will continue to increase, following the recommendations of bodies like the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). As the physical impacts of climate change become more apparent and transition policies more concrete, market pricing of climate risks should become more accurate and forward-looking. Ultimately, the financial sector’s response to climate change will play a crucial role in determining whether the world successfully navigates the transition to a sustainable economy or faces the full economic consequences of unmitigated climate change.
Questions 14-26
Questions 14-18
The passage has seven sections, A-G.
Which section contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G.
- A description of how some investors actively seek out environmentally positive companies
- An explanation of the two main types of climate-related financial risks
- A discussion of problems that still exist in measuring climate risks
- Information about requirements for financial institutions to test their climate preparedness
- Statistics about the amount of money invested sustainably worldwide
Questions 19-22
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
The insurance sector offers an important example of managing climate risk. Insurance companies now face greater losses from extreme weather and must update their 19) __, which previously used historical data. In areas with high risk, some insurers have increased costs or left markets completely, creating an 20) __ for property owners. This situation has led to government action through 21) __ and shared risk systems. The insurance example shows that some locations might become impossible to insure, raising concerns about 22) __ and economic problems caused by climate.
Questions 23-26
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Passage 2?
Write:
- YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
- NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
- NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
- Physical risks from climate change are easier to measure than transition risks.
- Central banks have developed methods for testing how climate change might affect financial institutions.
- Green bonds always fund projects that would not occur without this special financing.
- Future improvements in technology will help financial institutions better assess climate risks.
Đánh giá rủi ro khí hậu trên thị trường tài chính toàn cầu trong bài thi IELTS Reading
PASSAGE 3 – Macroeconomic Modeling of Climate Impacts: Challenges and Paradigm Shifts
Độ khó: Hard (Band 7.0-9.0)
Thời gian đề xuất: 23-25 phút
The endeavour to quantify the macroeconomic consequences of climate change represents one of the most intellectually formidable challenges facing contemporary economics. Traditional macroeconomic models, which have proven reasonably adept at forecasting business cycle fluctuations and evaluating policy interventions over relatively short time horizons, confront fundamental limitations when extended to encompass climate impacts operating over decades or centuries. These models’ underlying assumptions – including equilibrium tendencies, smooth adjustment processes, and continuous marginal changes – may be profoundly inadequate for capturing the discontinuities, irreversibilities, and non-linear dynamics that characterize climate-economy interactions. Consequently, economists are engaged in a vigorous debate about how to reconceptualize their analytical frameworks to address this existential challenge.
The seminal work in climate-economy modeling emerged in the 1990s with Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), most notably those developed by William Nordhaus. These models attempt to couple simplified climate systems with economic production functions, enabling estimation of the economic costs of both climate damages and mitigation efforts. IAMs have been instrumental in informing policy debates, including calculations of the social cost of carbon – a metric representing the economic damage from emitting one additional ton of CO2. However, IAMs have faced sustained criticism from multiple quarters. Ecological economists argue that these models fundamentally misrepresent the relationship between economy and environment by treating nature as merely one factor of production, substitutable with human-made capital, rather than as the indispensable foundation upon which all economic activity rests.
A central methodological controversy revolves around the discount rate – the factor used to convert future costs and benefits into present values. The choice of discount rate has enormous implications: a higher discount rate places less weight on future damages, potentially justifying less aggressive near-term climate action, while a lower discount rate suggests that substantial immediate investment in emissions reduction is economically warranted. Nordhaus has employed a discount rate of approximately 4-5% based on observed market rates, while Nicholas Stern’s influential 2006 review used a rate closer to 1.4%, reflecting ethical considerations about intergenerational equity. This technical parameter choice, grounded in contested normative assumptions about how to value the welfare of future generations, produces dramatically divergent policy recommendations – illustrating how ostensibly objective economic analysis inevitably embeds value judgments.
The treatment of uncertainty in climate-economy models presents another vexing challenge. Climate change involves deep uncertainty – situations where probabilities cannot be reliably assigned to possible outcomes. Tail risks (low-probability, high-impact events) may be particularly important; some climate scientists warn of potential tipping points beyond which climate systems could undergo rapid, irreversible changes. For instance, the collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, disintegration of the Amazon rainforest, or shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation would have catastrophic economic consequences exceeding anything in historical experience. Standard IAMs typically employ expected utility maximization with known probability distributions, an approach ill-suited to incorporating these radical uncertainties. Some economists advocate for alternative frameworks such as robust decision-making under deep uncertainty or precautionary principles that prioritize avoiding worst-case scenarios even when their precise probabilities are unknown.
Recent research has increasingly emphasized that climate damages may be far more severe than earlier models suggested, particularly in several key dimensions. First, the distributional impacts within and across countries appear highly inequitable. Low-latitude, predominantly developing countries face disproportionate physical impacts while possessing fewer resources for adaptation. Moreover, empirical evidence suggests that climate change affects not merely the level of economic output but its growth rate – implying that damages compound over time rather than representing one-time shocks. A 2019 study found that a 1°C temperature increase reduces economic growth by approximately 1 percentage point, an effect that accumulates year after year, yielding much larger long-term impacts than models assuming only level effects.
The endogeneity of climate impacts and economic responses creates additional modeling complexity. Climate change affects economic productivity, which influences emissions trajectories, which in turn determine future climate change – a feedback loop that must be properly characterized. Similarly, technological innovation in clean energy is not exogenous but responds to policy incentives, relative prices, and R&D investment – factors themselves influenced by climate impacts and policy responses. Agent-based models, which simulate the behaviour of heterogeneous actors (firms, households, governments) and their interactions, offer promise for capturing these complex adaptive system dynamics but require extensive computational resources and confront validation challenges given limited historical precedents for the climate scenarios under consideration.
The financial sector’s growing attention to climate risks has spurred development of new modeling approaches focused on systemic financial instability. Climate-related shocks could propagate through financial networks via interconnected balance sheets, potentially triggering cascading defaults reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis. A sudden reassessment of climate risks – a “green swan” event – might cause widespread asset repricing, with stranded assets in fossil fuel sectors losing value precipitously while climate solution industries surge. Network models that map exposures between financial institutions, combined with stress testing under severe climate scenarios, aim to identify vulnerabilities and inform macroprudential policy. However, these models struggle to capture emergent properties of complex systems, contagion dynamics, and the possibility of regime shifts in financial market behavior.
The integration of climate considerations into macroeconomic forecasting by central banks and finance ministries remains at a nascent stage. Traditional macro models focus on relatively short-term dynamics (quarters or years), employ historical relationships between variables, and assume that the economy fluctuates around a stable equilibrium growth path. Climate change, by contrast, operates over much longer time scales, represents an unprecedented exogenous shock without clear historical analogues, and may fundamentally alter long-run growth potential. Some institutions are experimenting with scenario analysis rather than probabilistic forecasting, exploring how economies might evolve under different emissions pathways and policy responses. These scenarios illuminate critical decision points and trade-offs while acknowledging irreducible uncertainty about the future.
Interdisciplinary collaboration between economists, climate scientists, ecologists, and other specialists has intensified, driven by recognition that economic models divorced from physical reality risk generating dangerously misleading conclusions. Climate scientists contribute detailed projections of physical impacts – temperature changes, precipitation patterns, sea-level rise – at policy-relevant spatial scales. Ecologists provide insights into ecosystem services and biodiversity loss that conventional economic accounting often overlooks. Social scientists from various disciplines illuminate behavioral responses, political economy constraints, and social tipping points that may accelerate or impede climate action. This intellectual synthesis, while methodologically challenging given different disciplinary epistemologies and modeling traditions, is essential for developing holistic understandings of climate-economy interactions.
Looking forward, the field of climate macroeconomics faces both daunting challenges and exciting opportunities. Advances in computational capacity, machine learning techniques, and climate science offer potential for more sophisticated modeling. However, fundamental questions persist about whether market-based economies can achieve the rapid decarbonization necessary to avoid dangerous climate change, or whether more profound structural transformations are required. The stakes could hardly be higher: the models and frameworks economists develop today will shape policy decisions with century-spanning consequences for human welfare and planetary systems. Whether the profession rises to this challenge with sufficient intellectual humility, methodological innovation, and normative clarity remains one of the defining questions of our time.
Questions 27-40
Questions 27-31
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- According to the passage, traditional macroeconomic models have difficulty with climate change because:
- A) They are too complex for this purpose
- B) Their assumptions may not suit climate’s non-linear characteristics
- C) They cannot predict business cycles
- D) They are designed only for developing countries
- The main criticism of Integrated Assessment Models from ecological economists is that they:
- A) Are too expensive to run
- B) Cannot calculate the social cost of carbon
- C) Treat nature as just one replaceable production factor
- D) Were developed too long ago
- The discount rate controversy matters because:
- A) It involves technical calculations that most people don’t understand
- B) Different rates lead to completely different policy recommendations
- C) Markets cannot determine the correct rate
- D) It only affects short-term decisions
- The passage suggests that “tail risks” in climate change refer to:
- A) Common events with minor impacts
- B) Predictable outcomes with known probabilities
- C) Unlikely events with potentially massive consequences
- D) Historical weather patterns
- According to recent research mentioned in the passage, climate change damages are worse than earlier thought because:
- A) They only affect developed countries
- B) They reduce economic growth rates, with effects that accumulate
- C) They have no distributional impacts
- D) They represent one-time costs only
Questions 32-36
Complete the summary using the list of words, A-L, below.
Climate modeling faces numerous challenges. The issue of 32) __ creates complexity because climate impacts affect economic productivity, which influences emissions, which then affects future climate – forming a 33) __. Traditional models assume the economy fluctuates around a stable 34) __, but climate change may fundamentally alter long-run economic potential. The development of 35) __ between economists, climate scientists, and ecologists has increased, as models disconnected from physical reality could produce misleading results. Looking ahead, the field faces both challenges and opportunities, but fundamental questions remain about whether economies can achieve rapid 36) __ to avoid dangerous climate impacts.
A) equilibrium growth path
B) feedback loop
C) endogeneity
D) discount rate
E) social cost
F) interdisciplinary collaboration
G) decarbonization
H) asset repricing
I) probability distribution
J) policy intervention
K) historical precedent
L) methodological controversy
Questions 37-40
Answer the questions below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
-
What term does the passage use to describe situations where probabilities cannot be reliably assigned to possible outcomes?
-
What type of models simulate the behavior of different types of actors and their interactions?
-
What phrase describes the potential sudden reassessment of climate risks in financial markets?
-
According to the passage, what do some economists use instead of probabilistic forecasting when considering climate futures?
Mô hình kinh tế vĩ mô đánh giá tác động biến đổi khí hậu toàn cầu
Answer Keys – Đáp Án
PASSAGE 1: Questions 1-13
- FALSE
- TRUE
- TRUE
- FALSE
- TRUE
- 21% / twenty-one percent
- diseases
- blackouts
- ESG factors / environmental, social, and governance factors
- B
- C
- C
- B
PASSAGE 2: Questions 14-26
- E
- A / B (Có thể chấp nhận cả hai vì phần A có giới thiệu khái niệm, phần B mở rộng)
- F
- C
- E
- actuarial models
- availability crisis
- public insurance programs
- climate-induced displacement
- NOT GIVEN
- YES
- NO
- YES
PASSAGE 3: Questions 27-40
- B
- C
- B
- C
- B
- C
- B
- A
- F
- G
- deep uncertainty
- agent-based models
- green swan (event)
- scenario analysis
Giải Thích Đáp Án Chi Tiết
Passage 1 – Giải Thích
Câu 1: FALSE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Climate change, only affects, environmental systems, not economic
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, dòng 1-3
- Giải thích: Câu đầu tiên của passage nói rõ “Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and changing precipitation patterns are not just environmental concerns; they have profound economic implications”. Điều này mâu thuẫn trực tiếp với phát biểu rằng biến đổi khí hậu chỉ ảnh hưởng đến hệ thống môi trường chứ không phải kinh tế.
Câu 2: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Coastal property, US, over $1 trillion, risk, 2050
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng 3-4
- Giải thích: Passage nói chính xác: “In the United States alone, coastal property worth over $1 trillion is at risk from rising seas by 2050”. Thông tin khớp hoàn toàn với phát biểu.
Câu 3: TRUE
- Dạng câu hỏi: True/False/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Insurance companies, raising premiums, withdrawing coverage, high-risk areas
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 2, dòng cuối
- Giải thích: Passage nêu rõ: “Insurance companies have begun raising premiums or withdrawing coverage from high-risk areas entirely”. “Raising premiums” được paraphrase thành “increasing prices”, “withdrawing coverage” được paraphrase thành “stopping coverage”.
Câu 6: 21% / twenty-one percent
- Dạng câu hỏi: Sentence Completion
- Từ khóa: Stanford University, global warming, decreased agricultural productivity, since 1961
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3, giữa đoạn
- Giải thích: Passage nêu: “A study by Stanford University found that global warming has already reduced global agricultural productivity by approximately 21% since 1961”. Đáp án phải là con số chính xác này.
Câu 10: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: agriculture, main point
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3
- Giải thích: Câu mở đầu của đoạn 3 nói: “Agriculture, which employs over one-third of the global workforce, is particularly vulnerable to climate impacts”. Điều này khớp với phương án B. Các phương án khác sai hoặc không được đề cập.
Câu 13: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: labour productivity
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn cuối
- Giải thích: Đoạn cuối nói rõ: “Studies show that worker productivity falls significantly when temperatures exceed comfortable ranges”. Điều này khớp với phương án B – năng suất giảm khi nhiệt độ tăng quá cao.
Passage 2 – Giải Thích
Câu 14: E
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
- Từ khóa: investors, actively seek, environmentally positive companies
- Vị trí trong bài: Section E
- Giải thích: Section E thảo luận về các nhà quản lý danh mục đầu tư và chiến lược đầu tư của họ, đặc biệt đề cập “positive screening or impact investing, actively seeking companies that contribute to climate solutions”. Đây chính xác là thông tin về việc tích cực tìm kiếm các công ty thân thiện với môi trường.
Câu 16: F
- Dạng câu hỏi: Matching Information
- Từ khóa: problems, still exist, measuring climate risks
- Vị trí trong bài: Section F
- Giải thích: Câu mở đầu của Section F nói: “Despite this progress, significant challenges remain in climate risk assessment and management”. Toàn bộ đoạn này liệt kê các vấn đề còn tồn tại như data quality, standardization, long time horizons, và deep uncertainty.
Câu 19: actuarial models
- Dạng câu hỏi: Summary Completion
- Từ khóa: insurance companies, must update, previously used historical data
- Vị trí trong bài: Section D
- Giải thích: Passage nêu: “Actuarial models, which historically relied on past data to predict future risks, must now incorporate forward-looking climate projections”. Đây là thuật ngữ chính xác cần điền vào chỗ trống.
Câu 24: YES
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Central banks, developed methods, testing climate effects, financial institutions
- Vị trí trong bài: Section C
- Giải thích: Section C nêu rõ: “Many jurisdictions now require financial institutions to conduct climate stress tests – exercises that evaluate how portfolios would perform under various climate scenarios”. Đây chính là các phương pháp do ngân hàng trung ương phát triển để kiểm tra tác động khí hậu.
Câu 25: NO
- Dạng câu hỏi: Yes/No/Not Given
- Từ khóa: Green bonds, always fund, projects, would not occur, without special financing
- Vị trí trong bài: Section G, câu cuối
- Giải thích: Passage nói: “questions persist about whether green finance is truly additional – funding projects that would not otherwise occur – or simply relabeling conventional investments”. Điều này cho thấy không phải lúc nào green bonds cũng tài trợ các dự án thực sự mới, mâu thuẫn với phát biểu trong câu hỏi.
Passage 3 – Giải Thích
Câu 27: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: traditional macroeconomic models, difficulty, climate change
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 1, giữa đoạn
- Giải thích: Passage nêu: “These models’ underlying assumptions – including equilibrium tendencies, smooth adjustment processes, and continuous marginal changes – may be profoundly inadequate for capturing the discontinuities, irreversibilities, and non-linear dynamics that characterize climate-economy interactions”. Điều này khớp với phương án B về việc các giả định của mô hình không phù hợp với đặc tính phi tuyến của khí hậu.
Câu 29: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: discount rate controversy, matters
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 3
- Giải thích: Passage nói: “The choice of discount rate has enormous implications: a higher discount rate places less weight on future damages, potentially justifying less aggressive near-term climate action, while a lower discount rate suggests that substantial immediate investment in emissions reduction is economically warranted”. Sau đó còn nói lựa chọn này “produces dramatically divergent policy recommendations”. Đây chính xác là phương án B.
Câu 31: B
- Dạng câu hỏi: Multiple Choice
- Từ khóa: recent research, climate change damages, worse than earlier thought
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 5
- Giải thích: Passage nêu: “empirical evidence suggests that climate change affects not merely the level of economic output but its growth rate – implying that damages compound over time rather than representing one-time shocks”. Điều này khớp chính xác với phương án B.
Câu 32-36: Summary Completion
- Câu 32: C (endogeneity) – Đoạn 6 bắt đầu với “The endogeneity of climate impacts…”
- Câu 33: B (feedback loop) – Tiếp theo trong đoạn 6: “Climate change affects economic productivity, which influences emissions trajectories, which in turn determine future climate change – a feedback loop…”
- Câu 34: A (equilibrium growth path) – Đoạn 8: “assume that the economy fluctuates around a stable equilibrium growth path”
- Câu 35: F (interdisciplinary collaboration) – Đoạn 9 bắt đầu: “Interdisciplinary collaboration between economists, climate scientists, ecologists…”
- Câu 36: G (decarbonization) – Đoạn cuối: “whether market-based economies can achieve the rapid decarbonization necessary…”
Câu 37: deep uncertainty
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Question
- Từ khóa: term, situations, probabilities cannot be reliably assigned
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 4
- Giải thích: Passage nêu rõ: “Climate change involves deep uncertainty – situations where probabilities cannot be reliably assigned to possible outcomes”. Đây là định nghĩa trực tiếp của thuật ngữ cần tìm.
Câu 38: agent-based models
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Question
- Từ khóa: type of models, simulate behavior, different types of actors, interactions
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 6
- Giải thích: Passage nói: “Agent-based models, which simulate the behaviour of heterogeneous actors (firms, households, governments) and their interactions”. Đây chính xác là loại mô hình được hỏi.
Câu 39: green swan (event)
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Question
- Từ khóa: phrase, sudden reassessment, climate risks, financial markets
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 7
- Giải thích: Passage sử dụng cụm từ: “A sudden reassessment of climate risks – a ‘green swan’ event – might cause widespread asset repricing”. Đây là thuật ngữ chuyên môn được đặt trong dấu ngoặc kép.
Câu 40: scenario analysis
- Dạng câu hỏi: Short-answer Question
- Từ khóa: instead of probabilistic forecasting, considering climate futures
- Vị trí trong bài: Đoạn 8
- Giải thích: Passage nêu: “Some institutions are experimenting with scenario analysis rather than probabilistic forecasting, exploring how economies might evolve under different emissions pathways”. Đây là phương pháp thay thế được đề cập rõ ràng.
Từ Vựng Quan Trọng Theo Passage
Passage 1 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| profound | adj | /prəˈfaʊnd/ | sâu sắc, nghiêm trọng | “profound economic implications” | profound impact/effect/influence |
| vulnerable | adj | /ˈvʌlnərəbl/ | dễ bị tổn thương, yếu đuối | “particularly vulnerable to climate impacts” | vulnerable to, highly vulnerable |
| disproportionately | adv | /ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃənətli/ | không cân xứng, bất cân đối | “disproportionately affect poor households” | disproportionately affect/impact |
| destabilize | v | /diːˈsteɪbəlaɪz/ | gây bất ổn | “destabilize entire economies” | destabilize the economy/system |
| paradoxical | adj | /ˌpærəˈdɒksɪkl/ | nghịch lý | “paradoxical challenge” | paradoxical situation/effect |
| strain | v | /streɪn/ | gây căng thẳng, làm quá tải | “strain electrical grids” | strain resources/systems |
| blackout | n | /ˈblækaʊt/ | mất điện, cúp điện | “blackouts that disrupt economic activity” | power blackout, widespread blackout |
| premature | adj | /ˈpremətʃə(r)/ | sớm, chưa đúng lúc | “premature deaths” | premature death/aging |
| systemic | adj | /sɪˈstemɪk/ | mang tính hệ thống | “systemic risk” | systemic risk/problem/change |
| stranded assets | n phrase | /strændɪd ˈæsets/ | tài sản bị mắc kẹt | “stranded assets as the world transitions” | fossil fuel stranded assets |
| widen | v | /ˈwaɪdn/ | làm rộng ra, gia tăng | “widening the economic gap” | widen the gap/divide |
| exacerbate | v | /ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/ | làm trầm trọng thêm | “Air pollution, exacerbated by higher temperatures” | exacerbate the problem/situation |
Passage 2 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| grappling with | v phrase | /ˈɡræplɪŋ wɪð/ | vật lộn với, cố gắng giải quyết | “grappling with how to quantify” | grapple with a problem/issue |
| trajectory | n | /trəˈdʒektəri/ | quỹ đạo, hướng phát triển | “trajectory of the global economy” | growth trajectory, development trajectory |
| probabilistic | adj | /ˌprɒbəbɪˈlɪstɪk/ | dựa trên xác suất | “probabilistic assessments” | probabilistic model/approach |
| render | v | /ˈrendə(r)/ | làm cho, khiến cho | “render existing infrastructure obsolete” | render something useless/obsolete |
| unviable | adj | /ʌnˈvaɪəbl/ | không khả thi | “economically unviable” | economically/financially unviable |
| reputational damage | n phrase | /ˌrepjuˈteɪʃənl ˈdæmɪdʒ/ | thiệt hại về danh tiếng | “reputational damage” | suffer reputational damage |
| illuminating | adj | /ɪˈluːmɪneɪtɪŋ/ | làm sáng tỏ, khai sáng | “illuminating case study” | illuminating example/insight |
| on the front lines | idiom | /ɒn ðə frʌnt laɪnz/ | ở tuyến đầu | “on the front lines of climate change” | on the front lines of (issue) |
| actuarial | adj | /ˌæktʃuˈeəriəl/ | thuộc về toán bảo hiểm | “actuarial models” | actuarial science/calculations |
| decarbonization | n | /diːˌkɑːbənaɪˈzeɪʃn/ | khử carbon | “portfolio decarbonization” | energy/economy decarbonization |
| elusive | adj | /ɪˈluːsɪv/ | khó nắm bắt, khó đạt được | “standardization remains elusive” | elusive goal/target |
| cascading | adj | /kæˈskeɪdɪŋ/ | theo chuỗi, liên hoàn | “cascading failures” | cascading effect/impact |
| net-zero | adj | /net ˈzɪərəʊ/ | bằng không thuần (thải) | “achieving net-zero emissions” | net-zero target/commitment |
| unprecedented | adj | /ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ | chưa từng có | “unprecedented investment” | unprecedented scale/level |
| forward-looking | adj | /ˈfɔːwəd lʊkɪŋ/ | hướng về tương lai | “forward-looking climate projections” | forward-looking approach/strategy |
Passage 3 – Essential Vocabulary
| Từ vựng | Loại từ | Phiên âm | Nghĩa tiếng Việt | Ví dụ từ bài | Collocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| formidable | adj | /ˈfɔːmɪdəbl/ | ghê gớm, đáng gờm | “intellectually formidable challenges” | formidable challenge/opponent |
| adept | adj | /əˈdept/ | thành thạo, giỏi | “reasonably adept at forecasting” | adept at (doing something) |
| discontinuities | n | /ˌdɪskɒntɪˈnjuːətiz/ | sự gián đoạn, không liên tục | “capturing the discontinuities” | structural discontinuities |
| irreversibilities | n | /ɪˌrevərsəˈbɪlətiz/ | tính không thể đảo ngược | “irreversibilities that characterize” | environmental irreversibilities |
| reconceptualize | v | /ˌriːkənˈseptʃuəlaɪz/ | tái khái niệm hóa | “reconceptualize their analytical frameworks” | reconceptualize the approach |
| seminal | adj | /ˈsemɪnl/ | có tính nền tảng, đột phá | “seminal work in climate-economy modeling” | seminal work/study/paper |
| substitutable | adj | /ˈsʌbstɪtjuːtəbl/ | có thể thay thế | “substitutable with human-made capital” | substitutable goods/resources |
| intergenerational equity | n phrase | /ˌɪntədʒenəˈreɪʃənl ˈekwəti/ | công bằng liên thế hệ | “intergenerational equity” | promote intergenerational equity |
| vexing | adj | /ˈveksɪŋ/ | khó chịu, gây rắc rối | “vexing challenge” | vexing problem/question |
| tail risks | n phrase | /teɪl rɪsks/ | rủi ro đuôi (xác suất thấp, tác động lớn) | “tail risks may be particularly important” | manage tail risks |
| tipping points | n phrase | /ˈtɪpɪŋ pɔɪnts/ | điểm giới hạn | “potential tipping points” | reach/pass a tipping point |
| catastrophic | adj | /ˌkætəˈstrɒfɪk/ | thảm khốc | “catastrophic economic consequences” | catastrophic failure/impact |
| robust | adj | /rəʊˈbʌst/ | vững chắc, bền vững | “robust decision-making” | robust system/approach |
| endogeneity | n | /ˌendəʊdʒɪˈneɪəti/ | tính nội sinh | “endogeneity of climate impacts” | problem of endogeneity |
| heterogeneous | adj | /ˌhetərəˈdʒiːniəs/ | không đồng nhất | “heterogeneous actors” | heterogeneous group/population |
| macroprudential | adj | /ˌmækrəʊpruːˈdenʃl/ | thận trọng vĩ mô | “macroprudential policy” | macroprudential regulation/measures |
| nascent | adj | /ˈnæsnt/ | mới nảy sinh | “nascent stage” | nascent industry/technology |
| epistemologies | n | /ɪˌpɪstəˈmɒlədʒiz/ | nhận thức luận | “disciplinary epistemologies” | scientific epistemologies |
| holistic | adj | /həʊˈlɪstɪk/ | toàn diện | “holistic understandings” | holistic approach/perspective |
Từ vựng IELTS Reading chủ đề biến đổi khí hậu và kinh tế toàn cầu
Kết Bài
Chủ đề “Effects of climate change on global economic stability” là một trong những chủ đề quan trọng và thường xuyên xuất hiện trong IELTS Reading, đặc biệt phù hợp với các passage có độ khó Medium đến Hard. Qua bộ đề thi mẫu này, bạn đã được thực hành với ba passages có độ khó tăng dần, từ những tác động trực tiếp và dễ nhận biết của biến đổi khí hậu lên nền kinh tế, đến những phân tích phức tạp về rủi ro tài chính và mô hình kinh tế vĩ mô.
Ba passages đã cung cấp một bộ đề thi hoàn chỉnh với 40 câu hỏi, bao gồm đủ các dạng câu hỏi phổ biến nhất trong IELTS Reading: Multiple Choice, True/False/Not Given, Yes/No/Not Given, Matching Information, Matching Headings, Summary Completion, Sentence Completion và Short-answer Questions. Sự đa dạng này giúp bạn làm quen với mọi dạng bài có thể gặp trong kỳ thi thật.
Đáp án chi tiết kèm giải thích cặn kẽ không chỉ giúp bạn kiểm tra kết quả mà còn hiểu rõ phương pháp tìm đáp án, cách paraphrase giữa câu hỏi và passage, và những “bẫy” thường gặp. Hãy dành thời gian xem lại những câu trả lời sai để hiểu lý do và tránh mắc lỗi tương tự.
Phần từ vựng quan trọng được tổ chức theo từng passage, cung cấp những collocations và cụm từ học thuật mà bạn có thể áp dụng không chỉ trong Reading mà còn trong Writing và Speaking. Việc nắm vững những từ vựng này sẽ nâng cao đáng kể khả năng hiểu bài đọc và band điểm tổng thể của bạn.
Hãy nhớ rằng, làm bài thi mẫu chỉ là một phần của quá trình học IELTS. Quan trọng là phải phân tích kỹ lưỡng từng câu hỏi, hiểu rõ tại sao một đáp án đúng và các đáp án khác sai, sau đó áp dụng những kỹ thuật đó vào các bài thi khác. Với sự luyện tập kiên trì và phương pháp đúng đắn, bạn hoàn toàn có thể đạt được band điểm mục tiêu trong phần IELTS Reading.
Chúc các bạn ôn tập hiệu quả và đạt kết quả cao trong kỳ thi IELTS sắp tới!