18 How to Master the IELTS

Reading (1)
Reading Passage 1
Shedding light on it

There are three main types of light bulb for lighting a room: incandescent,
fluorescent and, more recently, the light emitting diode (LED) bulb. All three bulbs
have their advantages and disadvantages when it comes to purchase price, running
costs and environmental impact.
The traditional incandescent bulb has been in use for more than 100 years. It is
made by suspending a fine coil of tungsten wire between two electrodes. When a
current flows through the wire it reaches a temperature of more than 2,000°C and
glows white hot. The bulb is filled with argon, an inert gas, to prevent the wire from
evaporating. Traditional light bulbs are not very efficient, converting less than 10% of
the energy into light with the rest as heat, making them too hot to handle. Most
household light bulbs are rated at 40, 60 or 100 Watts.
Mass production of fluorescent lights began in the 1940s. The standard size is 1.2 m
in length and 2.5 cm in diameter. The tube contains a small amount of mercury and
the inside surface of the glass has a phosphor coating. There are two electrodes,
one at each end of the tube, but there is no wire in between. Instead, mercury atoms
absorb the electrical energy and emit ultraviolet (UV); this light is invisible until it hits
the phosphor coating on the glass, which emits a visible white light. Fluorescent
lights are about five times more efficient than incandescent light bulbs. A 20 Watt
fluorescent tube will produce a similar amount of light to a 100 Watt bulb and runs
much cooler, which helps to give it 10 times the life expectancy of a bulb.
The bright light produced by standard fluorescent lights makes them an ideal
choice for offices and factories, rather than homes, where the incandescent bulb has
traditionally reigned supreme. However, the newer compact fluorescent lamps
(CFLs) look likely to make the old bulbs extinct. Global warming is the main reason.
Compared with an incandescent bulb, a single energy-saving fluorescent lamp will
save about one tonne of carbon-dioxide emissions over its lifetime, as well as reduce
the consumer’s electricity costs.
Not everybody likes the new CFLs, which have the following disadvantages: they
are ten times the price of the traditional bulbs; flickering can occur with dimmer
switches; they need to warm up to give full brightness; and they emit a bluish, less
natural light that can strain the eye. Traditional bulbs are safer to dispose of because
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they are free from mercury, which is a neurotoxin. The mercury is safe inside a
sealed CFL but it is released into the atmosphere if the bulb is broken. Mercury can
accumulate in the body to attack the brain and central nervous system.
The reduced carbon footprint of CFLs in comparison with traditional bulbs may have
been overstated. Whilst it is true that traditional bulbs convert 90% of the electricity
into heat instead of light, this heat is not wasted. The bulb helps to keep the house
warm so less fuel is burnt; for example, less gas or oil. If you change all your bulbs to
CFLs it could prove very expensive in the short term and save less energy than you
might imagine if your home is properly insulated or you live in a cold climate. If you
live in a warm climate, then changing to CFLs will reduce your carbon footprint and
the cost of your electricity bills, but the savings will be less than you might expect if
the daylight hours are long and the nights are short.
CFLs are themselves under threat from the latest generation of light emitting
diodes (LEDs). The LED has been in existence since the 1920s but they have only
recently been made bright enough for room lighting. The most common applications
to date have been traffic lights, solar garden lights and car brake lights; infrared
LEDs are used in television remote controls. LEDs are electronic components that
emit photons of light when the current is switched on. Lights for the home are made
by clustering several LEDs into a single bulb.
Though more expensive than CFLs, LEDs last up to six times longer and are
twice as efficient, producing the same amount of light from half the electrical
power (half the carbon emissions). Other advantages of LED lighting include: an
‘instant on’, meaning that there is no warm-up time; no problems with frequent
on/off switching, which shortens the life of fluorescent lights; no glass to break
because the LED is made from a hard transparent plastic; and they are free from
toxic mercury.
20 How to Master the IELTS

Questions 41 to 47
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading 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.

41 Incandescent bulbs convert more energy to heat than light.

42 Ultraviolet light (UV) can be seen with the naked eye.

43 Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) last about 10 years.

44 Fluorescent tubes are the best lights for workplaces.

45 Incandescent bulbs contain mercury.

46 Fluorescent light can cause headaches and migraines.

47 Traditional bulbs may waste less energy than they appear to.

Questions 48 to 53
Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Switching to CFLs may not be such a bright idea

Whilst it is true that compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) have a smaller

48 than incandescent lighting, bulbs help to 49 the
house, reducing the amount of gas or oil burnt. Consequently, the savings are less
than expected in well 50 houses and in 51 regions.
Fluorescent bulbs contain 52 , which is hazardous to health.
The new light emitting diode (LED) bulbs carry no such risk and though expensive,
they are more 53 than CFLs.