Table of Contents
BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 506
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 506 – PASSAGE – 1
IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 506
READING PASSAGE – 1
The Return of the Leech
A leech is a type of freshwater worm that attaches itself to people and animals which enter rivers and ponds. The leech is a parasitic creature, which takes blood from its host in order to survive. It has long been recognised that leeches have therapeutic effects on their hosts that can be useful in medicine. Meanwhile, throughout history there has been a widespread belief that removing blood from the body through a procedure known as bloodletting is effective in the treatment of illnesses, and leeches were an easy way of achieving this.
The earliest recorded use of leeches being used for this purpose dates back 3,500 years to paintings of medicinal leeches found in tombs in ancient Egypt, but the practice is probably much older, and medical treatment with leeches is also thought to have been practised in ancient China.
In classical Greece and Rome, bloodletting with leeches was believed necessary to restore the body’s essential balance, even in perfectly healthy people, whilst in medieval Europe, doctors and chemists made extensive use of leeches to treat all manner of diseases. In the days before antibiotics and sterile surgery, bloodletting was one of the few tools available to combat infections and treat wounds, although in many cases, the treatment was ineffective and often even dangerous.
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The practice of bloodletting by leeches reached its peak in the 1830s and leeches were used to treat a wide variety of disorders. ranging from headaches to yellow fever. Medical bloodletting was so popular that the commercial trade in leeches became a major industry. In France, for example, the domestic supply was insufficient to meet demand and in 1833 alone, 4.1 million leeches were imported from places as far away as India and Africa, although the best leeches were said to come from Sweden and Hungary.
Leeches were harvested by collectors who would walk through the water, allowing the creatures to attach themselves to their legs. A good collector could gather up to 2,500 leeches in a day. Indeed, so many leeches were harvested that the creature was in danger of becoming extinct, and leech farms were established in France and Germany to ensure a continued supply.
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By the early 20th century, hirudotherapy – the medical use of leeches – was considered old-fashioned and somewhat barbaric. This all changed in the 1980s thanks to Joseph Upton, a surgeon based at Harvard University in the USA. Upton wrote an article about his successful use of hirudotherapy to treat a condition called venous insufficiency, where blood pools under the skin. Not only can leeches remove the excess blood quickly, but their saliva contains a natural anti-coagulant called hirudin that prevents blood from clotting.
In fact, the saliva of leeches is a useful pharmaceutical substance in other respects too. It acts as a local anaesthetic because it contains a chemical that numbs its host so that the person doesn’t know that a leech has attached itself. Leech saliva also contains both a chemical that brings down swelling, and bacteria that produce a natural antibiotic substance to prevent their host picking up other infections. Hirudotherapy has been found to have a range of uses. For example, a clinic in Germany has reported that it is useful in treating arthritis, a painful condition that affects the knees and other joints.
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Scientists at the University of Wisconsin and elsewhere have been trying to develop a mechanical leech that would avoid the risk of infection and be effective over longer periods. Real leeches only feed for 15 to 30 minutes before they become full and detach themselves from the host. Hopefully, patients who are bothered by the thought of biological leeches might be better able to tolerate the mechanical kind.
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
1. The first historical evidence for the use of leeches in medicine comes from China.
2. In Ancient Rome, leeches were used to treat people who were not ill.
3. In medieval Europe, bloodletting may have done more harm than good.
4. In the 19th century, more leeches were used in France than in any other country.
5. Wild leeches are quite difficult to catch in large quantities.
6. Leech farming was developed in the 19th century in response to a shortage of wild leeches.
7. In the early 20th century, the use of leeches was prohibited in the USA.
8. Joseph Upton struggled for many years to prove that hirudotherapy was effective.
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Questions 9-13
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Modern Medical Use of Leeches
Properties of leech saliva
Stops blood 9…………..
Works as a 10………….. (host unaware)
Contains a substance that reduces 11…………..
Contains bacteria that act as a 12…………..
Also helps patients suffering from 13…………..
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ANSWERS
1. FALSE
2. TRUE
3. TRUE
4. NOT GIVEN
5. FALSE
6. TRUE
7. NOT GIVEN
8. NOT GIVEN
9. (FROM) CLOTTING
10. (LOCAL) ANAESTHETIC
11. SWELLING
12. NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC
13. ARTHRITIS
IELTS Academic Reading Test