Reading: Skimming Scanning

Read the following extract and respond to the questions that follow.

Soaring over the city at an impressive 2,716 feet (828 meters) and boasting 200 stories (160 habitable), the $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa project was unveiled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2010. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 international workers were on site per day logging a collective 22 million man-hours during the six years it took to complete. The Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even surpassed Taiwan's Taipei 101, which at 1,667 feet (508m) had held the world title since it opened in 2004.

Question: what would be an appropriate title for this passage?

• Tall buildings of the World

• Why you should visit Dubai

• The size and Magnificence of the Burj Khalifa

Soaring over the city at an impressive 2,716 feet (828 meters) and boasting 200 stories (160 habitable), the $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa project was unveiled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2010. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 international workers were on site per day logging a collective 22 million man-hours during the six years it took to complete. The Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even surpassed Taiwan's Taipei 101, which at 1,667 feet (508m) had held the world title since it opened in 2004.

Question: How many international workers were on site per day during the Burj Khalifa's construction? (Skill: scanning)

• 12000

• 2000

• 22000

Soaring over the city at an impressive 2,716 feet (828 meters) and boasting 200 stories (160 habitable), the $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa project was unveiled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2010. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 international workers were on site per day logging a collective 22 million man-hours during the six years it took to complete. The Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even surpassed Taiwan's Taipei 101, which at 1,667 feet (508m) had held the world title since it opened in 2004.

Question: How long did it take to complete the Burj Khalifa? (Skill: Scanning)

• 8 years

• 9 years

• 6 years

Soaring over the city at an impressive 2,716 feet (828 meters) and boasting 200 stories (160 habitable), the $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa project was unveiled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2010. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 international workers were on site per day logging a collective 22 million man-hours during the six years it took to complete. The Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even surpassed Taiwan's Taipei 101, which at 1,667 feet (508m) had held the world title since it opened in 2004.

Question: Which building was the tallest in the world prior to the completion of the Burj Khalifa? (Skill: scanning)

• Eiffel Tower

• Empire State Building

• Taipei 101

Soaring over the city at an impressive 2,716 feet (828 meters) and boasting 200 stories (160 habitable), the $1.5 billion Burj Khalifa project was unveiled by Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2010. At the peak of construction, more than 12,000 international workers were on site per day logging a collective 22 million man-hours during the six years it took to complete. The Burj Khalifa is twice the height of New York's Empire State Building and three times as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It even surpassed Taiwan's Taipei 101, which at 1,667 feet (508m) had held the world title since it opened in 2004.

Question: how much did it cost to construct the Burj Khalifa?

• $1.5 billion

• $2.5 billion

• $1.0 billion

True, False, or Not given

You’ll no doubt recognise this tall grass growing along roadsides and in public areas (or the wild), as it’s an easy, cheap and fast growing grass that can quickly spruce up a vacant spot. It grows up to one metre in height, with long bushy tendrils sprouting upwards from its thick grassy base, which stays green even in summer. Plant several next to each other along an empty fence or wall to add a degree of wabi-sabi wildness to your garden. Native to Africa and the Gulf, it’s a hardy grass with a high drought tolerance and requires little watering and maintenance.

Question: Tall grass grows up to three metres in height

• True

• False

• Not given

You’ll no doubt recognise this tall grass growing along roadsides and in public areas (or the wild), as it’s an easy, cheap and fast growing grass that can quickly spruce up a vacant spot. It grows up to one metre in height, with long bushy tendrils sprouting upwards from its thick grassy base, which stays green even in summer. Plant several next to each other along an empty fence or wall to add a degree of wabi-sabi wildness to your garden. Native to Africa and the Gulf, it’s a hardy grass with a high drought tolerance and requires little watering and maintenance.

Question: Tall grass can survive the harsh desert heat?

• True

• False

• Not given

You’ll no doubt recognise this tall grass growing along roadsides and in public areas (or the wild), as it’s an easy, cheap and fast growing grass that can quickly spruce up a vacant spot. It grows up to one metre in height, with long bushy tendrils sprouting upwards from its thick grassy base, which stays green even in summer. Plant several next to each other along an empty fence or wall to add a degree of wabi-sabi wildness to your garden. Native to Africa and the Gulf, it’s a hardy grass with a high drought tolerance and requires little watering and maintenance.

Question: Is tall grass fast growing?

• True

• False

• Not given

You’ll no doubt recognise this tall grass growing along roadsides and in public areas (or the wild), as it’s an easy, cheap and fast growing grass that can quickly spruce up a vacant spot. It grows up to one metre in height, with long bushy tendrils sprouting upwards from its thick grassy base, which stays green even in summer. Plant several next to each other along an empty fence or wall to add a degree of wabi-sabi wildness to your garden. Native to Africa and the Gulf, it’s a hardy grass with a high drought tolerance and requires little watering and maintenance.

Question: Tall grass is found in many European countries

• True

• False

• Not given

You’ll no doubt recognise this tall grass growing along roadsides and in public areas (or the wild), as it’s an easy, cheap and fast growing grass that can quickly spruce up a vacant spot. It grows up to one metre in height, with long bushy tendrils sprouting upwards from its thick grassy base, which stays green even in summer. Plant several next to each other along an empty fence or wall to add a degree of wabi-sabi wildness to your garden. Native to Africa and the Gulf, it’s a hardy grass with a high drought tolerance and requires little watering and maintenance.

Question: choose the appropriate title for this passage

• Plants of the UAE

• Why you should choose Tall Grass

• How to water plants