BEST IELTS General Reading Test 300

Table of Contents

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – PASSAGE – 2

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST

READING PASSAGE – 2

MARINE SPECIES

A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.

Coral belongs to the class Anthozoa in the animal phylum Cnidaria, which includes sea anemones and jellyfish. Unlike sea anemones, corals secrete hard carbonate exoskeletons that support and protect the coral. Most reefs grow best in warm, shallow, clear, sunny and agitated water.

Often called “rainforests of the sea”, shallow coral reefs form some of Earth’s most diverse ecosystems. They occupy less than 0.1% of the world’s ocean area, about half the area of France, yet they provide a home for at least 25% of all marine species, including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, tunicates and other cnidarians. Coral reefs flourish in ocean waters that provide few nutrients. They are most commonly found at shallow depths in tropical waters, but deep water and cold water coral reefs exist on smaller scales in other areas.

IELTS General Reading Test

Coral reefs deliver ecosystem services for tourism, fisheries and shoreline protection. The annual global economic value of coral reefs is estimated between US$30-375 billion. Coral reefs are fragile, partly because they are sensitive to water conditions. They are under threat from excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), rising temperatures, oceanic acidification, overfishing (e.g., from blast fishing, cyanide fishing, spear fishing on scuba), sunscreen use, and harmful land-use practices, including runoff and seeps (e.g., from injection wells and cesspools).

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 21 – 25

Answer the question below by using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for your answer.

21. What substance binds the polyps together?

22. Which sea animal has a soft exoskeleton?

23. What term is used to compare corals with the land?

24. Where can corals be frequently spotted?

25. Which water sport can cause damage to coral reefs?

IELTS General Reading Test

Read the text below and answer Questions 26-34.

MODERNIZATION OF HOSPITAL

The modernization of hospitals and hospital services can be traced back to 1840 when facilities began to change their focus from caring for the impoverished and mentally ill, to becoming a place known for providing complete health care to the population. After the Second World War, the government identified a deficiency in the health care system and the response to was passage of the Hill-Burton Free and Reduced Cost Health Care Act in 1946.

The Hill-Burton Act provided government subsidies to aid in the construction and modernization of local government hospitals as well as not-for-profit facilities. Hill-Burton established a goal ratio of 4.5 beds for every 1000 people; the greatest period of hospital growth due to this legislation was from 1947 to 1971 when an estimated $33 billion in governmental funding was distributed, with the goal being reached in 1980.

IELTS General Reading Test

However, beginning in the mid-1980’s changes in the reimbursement of claims for government-sponsored health care programs, managed care and the effect it had on the healthcare market place, and hospital closures, led to hospital downsizing to include the number of available inpatient beds as well as the number of facilities in operation.

The Effect of Changes in Hospital Reimbursement

Until the passage of the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), all claim reimbursement for services rendered was based on individual charges. This was an itemized billing for each day spent in a hospital bed as an inpatient, including charges for the services provided by other departments such as laboratory, radiology, and the various ancillary services that may have been provided to the patient as part of their hospitalization.

In some cases, closed facilities and areas within a facility were converted to other uses, including expansion of outpatient services and programs, but the underlying cause for the closure of the facilities was underutilization and the cost of maintaining underperforming facilities.

IELTS General Reading Test

To an extent, hospital downsizing is the result of the successful implementation of cost- saving programs that have shifted the primary areas for patient care from inpatient to various outpatient care facilities and disciplines. Beginning with the shift from cost-plus billing to PPS using DRG reimbursement and managing care to increase efficiency and reduce cost, the need for inpatient hospital beds has continued to decrease in response to the lessening need while the utilization of outpatient services continues to grow to meet the needs of patients and providers.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 26-34

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER.

Modernisation of hospital

Slow and dynamic variations were observed in changing the services of hospital in the year (26)………. But a significant change was seen after the incident of (27)………. . An (28)………. was passed which promised cost effective Health Services in 1946. This Hill Burton reform not only promised establishing new hospitals but also focused on (29)………. of local Healthcare establishments. In addition to this it also provided cost free services.

The period between 1947 to 1971 saw a massive change when state actively took part in (30)………. to reach a future goal. However it was witnessed in 1985 that these changes were not best in keeping up the services which led to a blow on Hospital market since many of the hospitals were closed and other had to suffer (31)……….

IELTS General Reading Test

ANSWERS ARE BELOW

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