BEST IELTS General Reading Test 439

Table of Contents

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 439 – PASSAGE – 1

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 439

READING PASSAGE – 1

Managing Cholesterol

A. Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is needed for the body to make hormones, vitamin D, and substances that help one to digest the foods. If one has excess cholesterol in the body, it combines with other substances in the blood, which in turn, forms the plaque. Plaque will stick to the walls of the arteries. This can lead to coronary heart disease. Low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and very-low-density lipoprotein are some of the main types of cholesterol.

B. Generally, an unhealthy lifestyle leads to high cholesterol. Eating bad fats can heighten your LDL cholesterol. Bad fats include saturated fat, is found in meats, dairy products, chocolate etc., and trans fat which you can find in fried and processed foods. Physical activity can help to regulate cholesterol levels. It means lack of physical activity can also contribute to high cholesterol. High Cholesterol could also be a genetic problem.

IELTS General Reading Test

C. Eating Healthy foods and avoiding unhealthy foods can reduce and manage cholesterol. Saturated foods mostly found in meat and dairy products. It can raise your cholesterol level. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can be reduced by reducing the consumption of saturated fats. Trans fats can be found in crackers, fried and processed foods.

It also raises your level of cholesterol. Hence, it should be consumed less. Salmon, mackerel, and walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids; it could lower one’s blood pressure. Absorption of cholesterol in the bloodstream can be reduced by intaking soluble fibers. It can be found in oatmeals, kidney beans, and Brussels sprouts.

D. Excess weight contributes to high cholesterol. Keeping track of one’s calories can help one be aware of how much to eat. Incorporating some form of activity in one’s life such as riding a bicycle or taking steps instead of using life can really help one to reduce weight. These may seem simple but it really adds up and brings some effective results.

IELTS General Reading Test

E. Lack of exercise is found to be one of the causes of high cholesterol. Aerobic exercise is the best exercise to reduce cholesterol. There are different forms of exercises to reduce cholesterol and to keep the body healthy. One needs to choose a form of exercise that is suitable to their life and should follow that regularly. Even simple exercises can be useful if it is regularly followed. Cycling, Jogging, Swimming and Yoga are good exercises to start. The way to commit to the exercise is to build a routine and follow that regularly.

Questions 1 – 5

The reading passage has five paragraphs, A-E.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number, i-viii, as your answer to each question.

List of Headings

i. Healthy Diet

ii. Regular Exercise

iii. Causes of High Cholesterol

iv. Lungs and Cholesterol

v. Ancient Medicines for Cholesterol

vi. Types of Cholesterol

vii. Cholesterol and Age

viii. Lose Weight

IELTS General Reading Test

1. Paragraph A

2. Paragraph B

3. Paragraph C

4. Paragraph D

5. Paragraph E

IELTS General Reading Test

Read the text below and anwer Questions 6-12.

A spark, a flint: How fire leapt to life Reading Passage

Early man thought fire as a divine gift, which randomly comes in the form of lightning, burning lava or forest fire. The earliest people most likely stored fire by maintaining slow burning logs or by keeping charcoal in pots because they cannot be able to make flame for themselves.

It is still a mystery how men learnt to produce flame by themselves. Probably, they have found fire when making tool operations with wood or stone. Studies based on primitive societies suggest that the early man made fire through friction.

The method of fire making of European peasants is inserting a wooden drill in a round hole and rotating it fastly between their palms. To speed up the process, they wrapped a cord around the drill and pulled on each end. The Ancient Greeks made a fire with the help of lenses or concave mirrors by concentrating sun rays and the Chinese and Mexican Aztecs used burning glasses.

IELTS General Reading Test

In Palaeolithic times, when several Stone Age tool-makers found that chipping flints produced sparks, percussion methods of fire-lighting emerged. The discovery of iron made this technique more efficient. Eskimos produced a slow-burning spark by striking the quartz against iron pyrites, which contains sulphur, in Arctic North America. The Chinese produced fire by striking porcelain against bamboo. Europe’s main method of fire-lighting is combining the steel, flint and tinder till the mid 19th Century.

When German alchemists transmute the silver into gold, they discovered phosphorus which revolutionised the fire-lighting. The combustible quality of phosphorus made the 17th century chemists manufactured fire-lighting devices, which burns easily. Phosphorus costs equivalent to several hundred pounds per ounce, so the first matches were really costly.

IELTS General Reading Test

In 1781, a group of French chemists came up with Ethereal match or Phosphoric candle, which is in the form of a sealed glass tube consisting of a twist of paper tipped with phosphorus. After this, the exploration of practical matches began. If the tube brakes,then the air comes in and the self-combustion of phosphorus will occur. In America, Instantaneous light boxes have been used which are even more hazardous devices. It is a bottle containing sulphuric acid into which splints treated with chemicals were dipped.

The first matches have a resemblance to the matches which we are using today, were made by an English pharmacist named John Walker who borrowed the formula from the Congreve, in 1827. Congreves were coated with sulphur and tipped with potassium chlorate, which costs about shilling a box. Users need to draw them quickly with folded glass paper to light them.

Samuel Jones copied this model and marketed it as a product named Lucifer, as Walker did not patent his invention. Simultaneously, Charles Sauria, a French chemistry student substituted white phosphorus in the place of potassium chlorate in the Walker formula. As the white phosphorus is a deadly poison, it was banned because the matchmakers are exposed to fumes which causes necrosis, a disease that eats away jaw bones. And, it was eventually banned.

IELTS General Reading Test

Questions 6-12

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Early man and fire

– Early man conceived fire as a 6_______

– The earliest people most probably stored fire by carrying a 7_____ in pots

– Studies based on primitive societies suggest that the early man made fire through 8_____

– The Ancient Greeks made a fire with the help of lenses or 9_____ by concentrating sun rays

– Chinese used 10_____ glasses to produce a fire

– In 11______ times, when several 12______ Age tool-makers found that chipping flints produced sparks, percussion methods of fire-lighting emerged.

IELTS General Reading Test

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