BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 538

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 538 – PASSAGE – 2

IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 538

READING PASSAGE – 2

CRANBERRIES

A. Cranberries are not always on most people’s list when it comes to antioxidant-rich, health-supportive berries. When thinking about nutritious fruits, berries like blackberries, raspberries, or strawberries are more likely to come to mind. But as soon as you start to think about the shape and size of cranberries, it is not difficult to recognize their similarities with berries like blueberries, and to understand why these berries are so renowned for their antioxidant richness.

Recent studies have identified over two dozen antioxidant phytonutrients in cranberries. In addition, these studies have shown the ability of cranberry phytonutrients to raise the overall antioxidant capacity in our bloodstream and to help reduce the risk of oxidative stress. For these reasons and others, cranberries deserve full recognition as a health-supportive fruit that can bring health benefits to a meal plan.

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B. Cranberries are native to North America and have never become widely naturalized to other parts of the world. In fact, over 80% of all cranberries grown worldwide are grown in the U.S. and Canada. (And roughly twice as many cranberries are grown in the U.S. compared to Canada.) For U.S. consumers, cranberries are an indigenous food that has unique ties to this region of the world.

Among our WHFoods, cranberries are most closely related to blueberries. Both of these berries belong to the Ericaceae family of plants, as well as to the Vaccinium genus. When you compare the phytonutrient richness of these two berries, you will also find a good bit of overlap. But we think it is safe to say that cranberries are unique in many ways, and one of these ways involves the manner in which they grow.

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C. While cranberries have gotten less attention than other family members in the Ericaceae plant family (for example, blueberries), they more than earn their credentials as phytonutrient-rich foods. Over two dozen health-supportive phytonutrients have been identified in cranberries, with proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins leading the way. These two groups of phytonutrients are interrelated.

Proanthocyanidins are larger molecules from which anthocyanins can be made. But they also have health-supportive properties of their own. It is not uncommon to find 150–350 milligrams of proanthocyanidins per fresh cup of cranberries and 15–170 milligrams of anthocyanins. The presence of these phytonutrient groups in cranberries makes itself known to our senses, because both groups help to provide cranberries with their vibrant red color.

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D. Two unwanted conditions in our cardiovascular system—the presence of oxidative stress and the presence of chronic inflammation—are risk factors for a variety of chronic cardiovascular diseases. In this context, it should not be surprising to find cranberries providing us with cardiovascular benefits since these berries are a concentrated source of both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. (It’s also worth noting that cranberries are a very good source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin E, two pivotal antioxidant nutrients. And in addition, they are a very good source of the mineral manganese, which is needed for proper function of some forms of the enzyme superoxide dismutase.)

E. As a food native to North America, cranberries have traditionally been enjoyed by many native peoples throughout what is now the United States and Canada. Cranberries were originally given different names in various tribal languages, including the name “ibimi”— which meant bitter/sour berries—in Wampanoag and Lenni Lenape. The name “cranberry” came from much later observations by European colonizers of North America that the flowers of cranberry plants were shaped like the head and neck of sandhill cranes, which led to the term “craneberry.” The word “craneberry” was eventually shortened to “cranberry.”

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F. As the world’s largest single producer of cranberries, the United States has a well-documented history of cranberry production. The key cranberry-producing states of Wisconsin (by far the largest producer) and Massachusetts (easily landing in second place) combined in 2016 to produce over 8 million barrels of cranberries. Approximately 1 million additional barrels were produced by the states of New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. Cranberry production in the U.S. has a rich family history and a high degree of continuity in comparison to many other areas of agricultural production.

For example, cranberry marshes developed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s around Manitowish Waters and Eagle River in Wisconsin remain productive to this day. In addition, some of the cranberry vines that currently produce cranberries are more than 200 years in age. On a worldwide basis, no country comes so close to producing the number of cranberries as the United States, with the possible exception of Canada.

In 2014, about 840 million pounds of cranberries were produced in the U.S., and about 388 million pounds were produced in Canada. Chile produced about 180 million pounds and a handful of other countries produced 10% or less of this Chilean amount. These additional countries included Belarus, Azerbaiijan, Latvia, and Romania.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

Questions 14-18

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage 2? In boxes 14-18 in your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO If the statements contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

14. Cranberries are of little use when it comes to their health benefits for consumers.

15. North and South America are the two places that cranberries are grown widely in the world.

16. Despite resembling cranberries in a number of aspects, blueberries do not have some features that cranberries have.

17. One substance that causes cranberries’ recognizable red is Anthocyanins.

18. The number of cranberries produced in Belarus is slightly less than that of Latvia and Romania.

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Questions 19-21

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

19. Cranberries and blueberries are similar because

A. They have vibrant red color due to the presence of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins.

B. Their richness in phytonutrients is similar to each other.

C. They are similarly popular as plants in Ericaceae family.

D. They both have over two dozen health-supportive phytonutrients.

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20. The meaning of the word cranberry can most likely stem from:

A. A word in tribal languages meaning bitterness or sourness.

B. The shape of its flower that is similar to body parts of a particular species of cranes.

C. The similar shape between the neck of sandhill cranes and the cranberry fruits.

D. The colonizers from North America that found this fruit on their colony in Europe.

21. What is true about the cranberry production in the US?

A. Massachusetts produced most cranberries, followed by other states such as Wisconsin or New Jersey.

B. New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington combined were able to produce 1 million barrels of cranberries more than Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

C. Many centuries-old cranberry trees in the US are said to be still able to produce fruits.

D. The productivity of cranberries developed around Manitowish Waters and Eagle River in Wisconsin is growing over the period of 200 years.

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Questions 22-26

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

Unlike blackberries or raspberries, cranberries are not widely well-known for containing 22………………………. which helps relieve oxidative stress. Cranberries and their closest relative, 23………………………., are both rich in phytonutrient; they resemble to some extent but cranberries still differ in many ways. There are two kinds of phytonutrient included in cranberries which are proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins. The 24……………………… of the former are bigger and they can be used to make the latter. Other phytonutrients in this fruit are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which benefits our 25……………………… by relieving oxidative stress and inflammation. Cranberries are produced the most in the US and in this country, 26……………………… is the state that constituted the majority.

IELTS Academic Reading Test

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