Table of Contents
BEST IELTS General Reading Test 502
IELTS GENERAL READING TEST 502 – PASSAGE – 2

IELTS GENERAL READING TEST – 502
READING PASSAGE – 2
Distilled water has many varied uses: in lead acid batteries, in the medical industry, in CPAP machines, for jal neti in yoga practice and so on. The process to make distilled water is simple: water is heated and the water vapour, which is free of any impurity, is collected and then condensed, giving us pure H20, that is water.
Water has to be heated upto its boiling point using a gas burner or an electric heater; any container such as a conical flask, a rectangular jar or a round flask can be used. The container is held in place with a clamp. The mouth of the container has to be sealed so that the water vapour does not escape. A thermometer may be inserted to track the temperature. The water vapour has to be channelised using a connecting tube into a device like a condenser to cool it down. Cold water is passed through the outer shell of this device to facilitate the cooling process. As the water vapor condenses, the resultant distilled water is collected in another container.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 15-21
Based on the description above, label the diagram given below, using not more than two words taken from the text for each label.

IELTS General Reading Test
Read the text below and answer Questions 22-28.
INFECTION PREVENTION: WHY IT MATTERS IN THE WORKPLACE
Whether you are in a workplace, public facility, leisure environment or educational facility, germs are spread from person-to-person and by touching everyday surfaces. In fact, according to a recent presentation by Dr. Charles Gerba, a microbiologist from the University of Arizona, “we share more common surfaces, with more people than ever before in history.”
Enclosed environments-like the workplace-where people are working or interacting in close proximity with one another are particularly at a higher risk for the spread of germs. Poor hygiene will lead to increased illness and can result in disruption cost, lost productivity, reduced employee efficiency through illness at work, and lower morale.
IELTS General Reading Test
Skin Hygiene Facts: Hands are the single most effective method of spreading germs, yet over half of all workers do not know the basics of hand washing. At least 40 percent of workers do not wash their hands often, or long enough, to protect against the spread of germs. Approximately 65% of maintenance and construction workers and 47% of office workers wash their hands less than five times a day.
The average hand wash misses vital areas where germs are commonly found, e.g., under fingernails and on the backs of hands. Since our hands are responsible for the spread of 80% of common infectious diseases, effective hand hygiene continues to be universally recognized as the smartest and most cost effective means of infection control in the workplace.
IELTS General Reading Test
Ways to Improve At-Work Hand Hygiene: Communicate the proper length of time needed to wash hands effectively, which is for at least 20 seconds. Educate employees on the ‘dirtiest’ areas of the work environment-which according to Dr. Gerba include desks and unwashed coffee cups. When hand washing facilities are not conveniently located, hand sanitizers can be used to complement normal hand washing.
In addition to the frequency and technique of hand washing, the format for how sanitizing products are used is very important. With wall-mounted cartridge dispensing systems, with a closed, one-time-use sealed system, there is no entrance of air during use, thus minimizing any risk of extrinsic microbial contamination. As a result, the product dispensed is fresh every time. For as little as a few cents per day, each employee and visitor can have access to hand hygiene products in the workplace.
IELTS General Reading Test
Businesses already lose millions of working days every year due to employee sickness from seasonal influenza, so this low cost investment is well worth it to significantly reduce the risk of germs being spread in the workplace. Numerous separate studies show that good hand hygiene practices can reduce employee illness, absence and associated cost on an average by around 40%.
It can be easy for businesses to think of skin care as a trivial issue and a commodity buy, or for it to fall off their radar screens completely. However, encouraging proper hand hygiene through a structured skin care system helps to protect your employees’ health, as well as the operational health of your company.
IELTS General Reading Test
Questions 22 – 28
Use ONE WORD for each answer.
Establishments where people work are generally covered from all sides and full of surfaces that people touch. This enables the spread of germs; coupled with inadequate (22)…………… this leads to increased incidence of illnesses and thus a loss of productivity. Our hands are the single most effective means of spreading germs. Almost half of all workers do not wash their hands often enough; many of them do not do so (23)…………… times a day. Also, generally when hands are washed, the places where (24)…………… abide are missed out.
Employees have to be told about how much time is (25)…………… to ensure that their hands are washed in an efficacious manner. One should ensure that an appropriate hand washing cleanser is used and the dispensing mechanism is such that the cleanser that each user gets to use is (26)…………… every time. Hand hygiene products do not (27)…………… much and can help reduce the costs associated with employee illness and absence by around 40%. Taking care of one’s skin is not a (28)…………… issue and making sure of good hand hygiene can help to protect the health of employees.
IELTS General Reading Test

IELTS General Reading Test
ANSWERS
15. ELECTRIC HEATER
16. ROUND FLASK
17. CLAMP
18. THERMOMETER
19. CONNECTING TUBE
20. CONDENSER
21. DISTILLED WATER
22. HYGIENE
23. FIVE
24. GERMS
25. NEEDED
26. FRESH
27. COST
28. TRIVIAL
IELTS General Reading Test