Cùng IKES giải chi tiết Cutty Sark the Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time kèm đáp án, giúp bạn nâng cao kỹ năng đọc hiểu và chuẩn bị hiệu quả cho kỳ thi IELTS!
Nội dung
1. Bài đọc Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time
1.1 Reading passage
Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship Of All Time
A. The nineteenth century was a period of great technological development in Britain, and for shipping the major changes were from wind to steam power, and from wood to iron and steel. The fastest commercial sailing vessels of all time were clippers, three-masted ships built to transport goods around the world, although some also took passengers. From the l 840s until 1869, when the Suez Canal opened and steam propulsion was replacing sail, clippers dominated world trade. Although many were built, only one has survived more or less intact: Cutty’ Sark. now on display in Greenwich, southeast London.
B. Cutty Sark’s unusual name comes from the poem Tam O’Shanter by the Scottish poet Robert Bums. Tam, a farmer, is chased by a witch called Nannie, who is wearing a ‘cutty sark’ – an old Scottish name for a short nightdress. The witch is depicted in Cutty Sark’s figurehead – the carving of a woman typically at the front of old sailing ships. In legend, and in Burns’s poem, witches cannot cross water, so this was a rather strange choice of name for a ship.
C. Cutty Sark was built in Dumbarton. Scotland, in 1869 for a shipping company owned by John Willis. To carry out construction, Willis chose a new shipbuilding firm, Scott & Linton, and ensured that the contract with them put him in a very strong position. In the end. The firm was forced out of business, and the ship was finished by a competitor.
D. Willis’s company was active in the tea trade between China and Britain, where speed could bring ship owners both profits and prestige, so Cutty Sark was designed to make the journey more quickly than any other ship. On her maiden voyage, in 1870. She set sail from London, carrying large amounts of goods to China. She returned laden with tea, making the journey back to London in four months. However, Cutty Sark never lived up to the high expectations of her owner, as a result of bad winds and various misfortunes. On one occasion, in 1872, the ship and a rival clipper, Thermopylae, left port in China on the same day. Crossing the Indian Ocean, Cutty Sark gained a lead of over 400 miles, but then her rudder was severely damaged in stormy seas, making her impossible to steer. The ship’s crew had the daunting task of repairing the rudder at sea. and only succeeded at the second attempt. Cutty Sark reached London a week after Thermopylae.
E. Steam ships posed a growing threat to clippers, as their speed and cargo capacity increased. In addition, the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. the same year that Cutty Sark was launched, had a serious impact. While steam ships could make use of the quick, direct route between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the canal was of no use to sailing ships, which needed the much stronger winds of the oceans, and so had to sail a far greater distance. Steam ships reduced the journey time between Britain and China by approximately two months.
F. By 1878, tea traders weren’t interested in Cutty Sark, and instead, she took on the much less prestigious work of carrying any cargo between any two ports in the world. In 1880, violence aboard the ship led ultimately to the replacement of the captain with an incompetent drunkard who stole the crew’s wages. He was suspended from service, and a new captain appointed. This marked a turnaround and the beginning of the most successful period in Cutty Sark’s working life, transporting wool from Australia to Britain. One such journey took just under 12 weeks, beating every other ship sailing that year by around a month.
G. The ship’s next captain, Richard Woodget. was an excellent navigator, who got the best out of both his ship and his crew. As a sailing ship, Cutty Sark depended on the strong trade winds of the southern hemisphere, and Woodget took her further south than any previous captain, bringing her dangerously close to icebergs off the southern tip of South America. His gamble paid off, though, and the ship was the fastest vessel in the wool trade for ten years.
H. As competition from steam ships increased in the 1890s. and Cutty Sark approached the end of her life expectancy, she became less profitable. She was sold to a Portuguese firm, which renamed her Ferreira. For the next 25 years, she again carried miscellaneous cargoes around the world.
I. Badly damaged in a gale in 1922, she was put into Falmouth harbour in southwest England, for repairs. Wilfred Dowman, a retired sea captain who owned a training vessel, recognised her and tried to buy her, but without success. She returned to Portugal and was sold to another Portuguese company. Dowman was determined, however, and offered a high price: this was accepted, and the ship returned to Falmouth the following year and had her original name restored.
J. Dowman used Cutty Sark as a training ship, and she continued in this role after his death. When she was no longer required, in 1954, she was transferred to dry dock at Greenwich to go on public display. The ship suffered from fire in 2007, and again, less seriously, in 2014. But now Cutty Sark attracts a quarter of a million visitors a year.


>> Xem thêm: IELTS Reading Cam 14: Why Zoos Are Good with explanations
1.2 Questions
Questions 1-8
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-8 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
- Clippers were originally intended to be used as passenger ships.
- Cutty Sark was given the name of a character in a poem.
- The contract between John Willis and Scott & Linton favoured Willis.
- John Willis wanted Cutty Sark to be the fastest tea clipper travelling between the UK and China.
- Despite storm damage, Cutty Sark beat Thermopylae back to London.
- The opening of the Suez Canal meant that steam ships could travel between Britain and China faster than clippers.
- Steam ships sometimes used the ocean route to travel between London and China.
Captain Woodget put Cutty Sark at risk of hitting an iceberg.
Questions 9-13
Complete the sentences below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.
- After 1880, Cutty Sark carried __________ as its main cargo during its most successful time.
- As a captain and __________, Woodget was very skilled.
- Ferreira went to Falmouth to repair damage that a __________ had caused.
- Between 1923 and 1954, Cutty Sark was used for __________.
- Cutty Sark has twice been damaged by __________ in the 21st century.
>> Xem thêm: Hướng dẫn giải chi tiết bài đọc: An Introduction to Film Sound
2. Đáp án Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time IELTS
Câu hỏi | Đáp án |
1 | False |
2 | False |
3 | True |
4 | True |
5 | False |
6 | True |
7 | Not Given |
8 | True |
9 | wool |
10 | navigator |
11 | gale |
12 | training |
13 | fire |
>> Xem thêm: The Lost City IELTS Practice test 12 with best explanation
3. Phân tích Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time answers
Questions 1-8
Questions 1:
Đáp án: False
Từ khoá: ““Clippers … although some also took passengers.”
Giải thích: Clippers được thiết kế chủ yếu để vận chuyển hàng hóa, nhưng một số cũng được dùng để chở hành khách. Từ “Although” nhấn mạnh rằng mục đích chính của chúng không phải là chở khách.
Questions 2:
Đáp án: False
Từ khoá: “Cutty Sark’s unusual name comes from…who is wearing a ‘cutty sark’ – an old Scottish name for a short nightdress.”
Giải thích: Cutty Sark là tên của một loại váy ngắn trong tiếng Scotland, không phải tên của nhân vật trong bài thơ.
Questions 3:
Đáp án: True
Từ khoá: “Willis chose a new shipbuilding firm… and ensured that the contract with them put him in a very strong position.”
Giải thích: Cụm từ “put him in a very strong position” cho thấy hợp đồng xây dựng đem lại lợi thế đáng kể cho Willis.
Questions 4:
Đáp án: True
Từ khoá: “Willis’s company was active in the tea trade… speed could bring ship owners both profits and prestige, so Cutty Sark was designed to make the journey more quickly than any other ship.”
Giải thích: Công ty của Willis hoạt động trong lĩnh vực thương mại trà giữa Trung Quốc và Anh. Vì tốc độ đóng vai trò quan trọng trong lợi nhuận và uy tín, Cutty Sark được thiết kế để trở thành con tàu nhanh nhất. Do đó, tuyên bố này là chính xác.
Questions 5:
Đáp án: False
Từ khoá: “Cutty Sark gained a lead… but then her rudder was severely damaged… Cutty Sark reached London a week after Thermopylae.”
Giải thích: Dù dẫn trước nhưng Cutty Sark bị hỏng bánh lái do bão nên đến London muộn hơn Thermopylae một tuần.
Questions 6:
Đáp án: True
Từ khóa: “The canal was of no use to sailing ships… Steamships reduced the journey time… by approximately two months.”
Giải thích: Tàu hơi nước có thể tận dụng tuyến đường nhanh hơn qua kênh đào Suez, giảm thời gian hành trình giữa Anh và Trung Quốc khoảng hai tháng.
Questions 7:
Đáp án: Not Given
Giải thích: Tàu hơi nước có thể sử dụng tuyến đường nhanh hơn qua kênh đào Suez, giúp rút ngắn thời gian hành trình giữa Anh và Trung Quốc khoảng hai tháng.
Questions 8:
Đáp án: True
Từ khoá: “Woodget took her further south than any previous captain, bringing her dangerously close to icebergs.”
Giải thích: Thuyền trưởng Woodget đã điều khiển tàu đến gần vùng có băng trôi, đặt con tàu vào tình thế nguy hiểm.
Questions 9-13
Questions 9:
Đáp án: Wool
Từ khoá: “In 1880, violence aboard the ship led ultimately to the replacement of the captain…the most successful period in Cutty Sark’s working life, transporting wool from Australia to Britain.”
Giải thích: Woollen là mặt hàng chính mà Cutty Sark vận chuyển trong giai đoạn thành công nhất.
Questions 10:
Đáp án: navigator
Từ khoá: “The ship’s next captain, Richard Woodget, was an excellent navigator.”
Giải thích: Richard Woodget là một nhà hàng hải xuất sắc và cũng là thuyền trưởng của con tàu.
Questions 11:
Đáp án: gale
Từ khoá: “Badly damaged in a gale in 1922, she was put into Falmouth harbour in southwest England, for repairs.”
Giải thích: Cutty Sark, sau khi được đổi tên thành Ferreira, đã bị hư hại nghiêm trọng trong một trận gió lớn.
Questions 12:
Đáp án: training
Từ khoá: “Dowman used Cutty Sark as a training ship, and she continued in this role after his death. When she was no longer required, in 1954, she was transferred to dry dock…”
Giải thích: Cutty Sark được sử dụng làm tàu huấn luyện trong gần 31 năm, từ năm 1923 đến 1954, trước khi được neo đậu cố định tại bến cảng.
Questions 13:
Đáp án: fire
Từ khoá: “The ship suffered from fire in 2007, and again, less seriously, in 2014, but now Cutty Sark attracts a quarter of a million visitors a year.”
Giải thích: Cutty Sark đã bị hư hại bởi hỏa hoạn hai lần, vào các năm 2007 và 2014.
>> Tham khảo thêm:
- Passage 2: Corporate Social Responsibility IELTS with solutions
- Đáp án chi tiết bài đọc: Why Fairy Tales Are Really Scary Tales
- The Life and Work of Marie Curie – Giải đề chi tiết Cambridge 9
Hy vọng bài viết của IELTS IKES sẽ giúp bạn hiểu rõ hơn về bài IELTS Reading Cutty Sark: The Fastest Sailing Ship of All Time và đạt kết quả cao trong kỳ thi IELTS. Nếu có bất kỳ thắc mắc nào, đừng ngần ngại để lại bình luận bên dưới. Chúc bạn ôn tập hiệu quả và thi thật tốt!